Lost in Love
by rissakee2
Summary: Ichigo is just a normal student with a girlfriend, friends and family. But what will happen if a new girl confuses him about love? Did he really love Inoue? Or will this new girl show him what true love is? Read and review please...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one: the New Girl**

9 o'clock in the morning. It is in the middle of November. Even though the sun is shining brightly it isn't that hot since the wind blows a little bit coldly. The students at Karakura High School are all trying to study hard and listen to their teachers. In one room the students in the class 3-a are listening attentively and are trying to understand the lesson that is being taught to them. They couldn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching their room. It gets closer and closer until it stops outside the door.

A petite raven haired girl about 5" tall knocks at the door and waits for someone to give her permission to enter. She is very nervous but tries not to show any emotion through her face. She heard the teacher said "_come in_" so she did.

Inside the room there are 24 students looking at the girl who came. They are very curious to know who the girl is. One guy with spiky orange hair didn't even glance at the new girl because for him she wasn't that important. He was thinking what he will do for the rest of the day. He is planning to have coffee later with his girlfriend Inoue, and then maybe they can walk around the mall.

"_Ok class, listen up!"_ the teacher said suddenly. _"This young girl here is your new classmate. She's also new in town so you have to be nice to her. Ichigo! Will you please PAY ATTENTION to what I'm saying?"_

"_I'm sorry Sensei, please continue." _Ichigo replied uninterestedly. _'Who is she by the way to give very special attention? I don't see any reason why I should. Oh well, I guess I have to since she's our classmate now and it'll be very rude to her if I'll ignore her.' He thought to himself._

Ichigo looked at the new girl and was amazed by what he saw! He was looking at a pair of the most beautiful violet eyes he has ever seen! Those eyes look hypnotic and mesmerizing. He just couldn't take his eyes off of them. He observed the girl properly and was a little bit embarrassed when he saw that the girl was also staring at him. But he doesn't know why he couldn't look away. It was like her eyes are holding his gaze and wouldn't let his eyes away from them.

He looks at her from head to toe. She is very small and looks very fragile but at the same time strong. She keeps a straight face and doesn't show any emotion. When he looked back at her again he saw that she was smiling to greet him. He nodded his head to greet her back.

"_Introduce yourself please." Ochie Sensei said._

The girl takes a step forward and bows her head in front of the class. _"Good morning! My name is Kuchiki Rukia. My family just moved in to town so please be nice to me and help me if I will need some help. It is nice to meet you." _Rukia said confidently.

"_You look soooo beautiful Rukia chan! You're like an angel that is sent to us to give meaning to our BORING LIVES! I'm sooo happy that my prayers are heard and I now have someone to accompany me!" _Keigo, a boy with long brown hair, said all of a sudden that surprised Rukia.

"_I don't really know if what you said is true but thank you for the kind words." _Rukia told Keigo.

"_Heh?" _a girl with auburn hair gasped. _"How come you didn't know that you're pretty? I mean, you look at yourself in the mirror right? I'm Inoue Orihime by the way." _

"_Alright that is enough! I have a class here to teach so PLEASE save your greetings later for lunch." _Ochie sensei cut off the students who wanted to talk or rather praise Rukia._ "You can sit beside Ichigo, the boy with the unruly orange hair. Don't ask me why he has that hair color we all have been dying to know."_

Rukia moves swiftly beside Ichigo. She sat down and looked at the boy next to her who was also looking at him. She was wondering a moment ago why this boy is staring at her intensively that made her conscious.

"_Hi! I'm Rukia. Kuchiki Rukia. Nice to meet you. "_ She held out her hand for the boy beside her to take which he did and they shake hands.

"_Kurosaki Ichigo. Nice to meet you too._" He said. He notices that he is smiling at her so he quickly scowls back._ 'Strange' _he thought._ 'This is the first time I smiled at someone I met for the first time but I don't feel embarrassed about it. It's like it's ok if I do that with her. There is something about this girl that makes me wonder and curious about her.'_

The rest of the morning past by without any interesting things. The bell rings then all the students gather up their bento to have lunch.

Ichigo approaches Orihime and talks to her. "_Hey, let's go have some lunch. I'm starving. Where do you wanna eat?_"

"_Why don't we ask Rukia to eat with us? I'm sure she has no one to eat with her. It will be nice to invite her to join us. What do you think?_" Orihime asks while blushing so much. Even though she and Ichigo have been dating for three months now, she still can't get over with it. She has liked him since their first year but has no courage to tell him. She was very surprised when Ichigo asked her for a date. She didn't know what to say but managed to tell him yes. And now they're a couple. But Ichigo refuses to call her by her name. He said he prefers calling her Inoue because it sounds more beautiful. She also tried asking him what he likes about her but he just ignored that question and the last time she tried asking again he told her "_Is it important to know why you like someone? When you are in love you don't really know why, you just do._"And because of that she never asked him again in fear that Ichigo will get mad at her for being stubborn.

_ "Ok let's go ask her." _But when Ichigo turns around to look at the said girl, Rukia was in no sight at all. She has left the room already.

_ "It's either she was in a hurry or she doesn't wanna eat with anyone. Let's just go outside and eat alone." _Ichigo told Orihime. She agreed so they went outside to eat lunch by the tree.

On the way to the roof Rukia is thinking what happened in the room. Her classmates are really nice and very friendly but she isn't the kind of person that talks too much or hangs with lots of people. She prefers to be left alone. She likes to listen to music all the time. The truth is she heard Inoue asking Ichigo to invite her to eat with them, but she's not yet ready to be friends with anyone. So she dashed out the room to find a perfect place to be left alone and that's when she thought of the rooftop. When she arrives at the place she quickly put on her headphones to listen to her iPod. It's very quiet and Rukia hopes that it will stay like that until the end of the day. Unfortunately it didn't because a few minutes later a boy with incredulously red hair burst through the door.

_"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that someone's here. Is it ok if I eat here also? Don't worry I won't disturb you." _The boy asked.

_ "Uhm… it's ok I guess. I mean it's not like I own the place to stop you from coming here. I'm Rukia by the way." _Rukia introduces herself with a smile.

_ "The name's Renji. Abarai Renji." _They shake hands and try to have a decent conversation. _"So, you're the new student that they were talking about? I don't want to offend you but I don't see anything unusual for people to gossip about. It's not like you have three arms or six fingers. HAHAHA! That would be very embarrassing!" _Renji keeps on talking like they are old friends and also while eating his bento.

Rukia is looking at Renji or more like observing him. She doesn't think that he is a bad guy but rather friendly. He may look like a thug because of his hair but she doesn't feel scared or in danger, in fact, she feels comfortable around him and she has a hunch that they will be friends. So she smiles at him and answers, "_I don't know for sure but I hope that they don't say anything bad about me. I don't really care what they think but it's my first day and I don't want to have headaches. I just wanna fit in._"

_ "Eating alone on the rooftop is not actually what you call fitting in. But I think for a girl, you're ok. I will be really glad if we will be friends. What do you say? Can we?" _Renji asks her. He is really hoping to be friends with her. There is something about her that is very attractive and he wants to know her more because for just a few minutes he can see that this girl is nowhere near ordinary. She is very pretty even though she is small and she has lovely eyes that make people look at her and listen to her.

"_Sure I am in no position to say no to that. And also for a guy, I think you're ok too._" She replied. And because of that they chatted and laughed the whole lunch time which made them closer and more comfortable with each other.

The last bell rings and it that signals the end of the day. Everybody packs up their things and prepares to go home. Everyone looks tired because of all the homework that they need to finish tonight. Orihime goes to Rukia and tries to talk to her._ "Hi! I was wondering where you ate lunch. Ichigo and I were going to ask you to join us but you left the room too fast and we didn't know where you went. Anyway I just want to ask if you would like to go to the mall with me and my friend." _

Rukia looks at her and can see that Inoue is so beautiful. She is the kind of girl that guys will go for. Unlike her, Inoue is busty and bubbly. She can't admit that she did run away, so she made up a story. "_I'm sorry. I didn't know that someone was going to ask me so I decided to just eat alone. I will make it up to you next time I promise. It's really nice talking to you but unfortunately I have to go. My brother is waiting for me so I need to go home as early as possible I'm very sorry._" Rukia tries so hard not to show that she is in a hurry. Her brother will be very mad if she won't make it for dinner since they had an agreement to eat at a restaurant together. She told her brother that she will make it on time because she doesn't want to disappoint him.

'_I feel like she is avoiding me or something but maybe she isn't and just very busy.' _Inoue thought to herself. _"I'm very sorry if I'm disturbing you. Well maybe we can talk tomorrow."_

"_Sure that will be great! I'll see you tomorrow! Bye!" _And with that Rukia went outside the school and runs as fast as she could to get home.

Ichigo saw the whole thing and he didn't like that Rukia declined Inoue twice now. He walks towards Inoue to tell her about his plans for today.

"_Hey! Do you want to go to the mall to have coffee? Then maybe we can walk around the park._"

"_Oh, Ichigo I really love to but I promised Tatsuki that we're gonna go shopping today. I didn't know that you wanted to go out so I told Tatsuki to meet me at the mall. I hope it's ok with you."_

Ichigo just looks at Inoue and said, "_That's fine with me. It's totally my fault that I didn't tell you earlier. So I guess I'll just see you tomorrow?_"

"_Yes! And I'm really sorry. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"_Goodbye now. Enjoy your time with Tatsuki."_

Ichigo left the school alone. He is walking by the river bank when he sees a familiar girl sitting on the grass listening to music and just staring at nothing in particular. He goes near her to have a better look and to confirm if it is really her. What he sees makes him so mad that he can feel his blood heat up!

'_What is she doing here? Did she lie just to get away from Inoue? Why does she need to do that? If she wants to turn down Inoue she should have just said so. It's not like we will persuade her to come with us!' _These things are in Ichigo's mind while approaching Rukia. He steps on a twig and it snaps. He averted his gaze at his foot to look at it and when he looks back at the girl he is a little bit embarrass to see her standing up and looking at him. They didn't talk but just stare at each other's eyes.

Amber to violet ones.

A/N: this is the first time that I wrote a fanfic. This chapter is mostly fluff because this is just an introduction of the characters. I hope you liked it. If I won't at least get five reviews then I won't continue it anymore. So PLEASE encourage me to continue writing. I will accept even (slight) criticisms. I would love to finish this. ^_^ Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own bleach.

**Lost in Love**

**Chapter 2: **Friends or not

"_What are you doing here? I thought you refused to go with Inoue because you said that your brother is waiting for you? Evidently he's not because you're here. Why did you lie to Inoue?"_ Ichigo kept on talking and wasn't even letting Rukia speak. "_I knew it! From the moment that I saw you, I knew that there's something wrong about you! Huh! I can't believe that Inoue even tried to be friends…_"

"_Whoa! Hold on for a minute! You don't even know the true story! I have the right to explain myself first BEFORE you accuse me! But no! You didn't even give me a chance! You just kept on babbling. And WHO ARE YOU to initiate that I am a LIAR? You don't even know me! We're not even friends for you to have "freedom" to say all those things to me! Hmp! I can't believe this!"_

Ichigo was stunned. He didn't expect that Rukia can talk back. You can say that she's mad because she shouted at the top of her lungs. He had second thoughts of confronting her when they were looking at each other a moment ago because for some reasons his anger subsided for a while. But when he remembered how Inoue tried so hard he became furious and did that to her. Now, he doesn't know what to say. _'I suppose she is right. I shouldn't have said all those mean things to her. What am I going to do now? She looks really angry. Should I apologize?' He thought._

"_Why are you looking at me like that? Are you thinking of other hurtful things to throw at me? Well if that's the case then I should just go now! I'm sorry but I don't want to listen to you!' _Rukia picked up her bag from the ground and started to walk away. "_If you'll excuse me I'll…"_

"_I'm sorry."_

"…"

"_Did you say something?" _ Rukia heard Ichigo's apology but decided to ignore it first. It's the only way thing she can do to get back at him for accusing her. So now she is humiliating Ichigo by making him say his sorry over and over.

"_I said I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't right…"_

"_Of course it wasn't!" Rukia butted in._

"_Will you please let me finish first before you talk? Jeez!"_

Ichigo saw Rukia that she won't say anything anymore so he continued talking. "_I said I'm sorry. I was overcome by my emotion. Please don't leave yet. Accept my apology." _Ichigo was so embarrassed that he talked while looking away from Rukia. He couldn't face her. He is still mad but he thought nothing will be solved from getting angry. She was right. He should have asked her first. He just wished that Rukia will stop her act because he can see that she is lying when she said she didn't hear him.

Rukia couldn't help but smile. She didn't actually expect ichigo to tell her again that he is sorry. One look at him and you can say that he is the kind of person that doesn't care about other people. She became intrigued of him. Rukia decided to stop harassing him already so she told him, "_Okay, I'll forget what happened. I just hope that this won't happen again in the future because I won't tolerate it."_

"_Thanks. I thought you were going to make my life a living hell. Would you mind if I join you?"_

"_No it's okay. I think it's better if we'll have a little chat." _Rukia sat on the grass and found a comfortable position crossing her legs. _"By the way, I didn't lie."_ She starts talking again. Emphasizing the word lie, when she saw Ichigo sat beside her. _"I was really going to meet my brother, but unfortunately he couldn't make it. He called to tell me that he is going to London for a business trip. He was already at the airport when he told me." _ She didn't want to show any emotion but she couldn't help it. She was really looking forward having dinner with her brother. At the end of her sentence she looked away to hide her face from Ichigo. She couldn't bare it if people were looking at her with pity. She didn't want Ichigo to think that she is a lonely girl. She wanted to show everyone that she is tough and can handle every trial she has to face.

"_I didn't intend to refuse Inoue. It's just that I thought I have something to do. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. Please understand." _She looked at his amber eyes with sincerity.

Ichigo was just staring at her. It's so easy to read Rukia and he can see that he is saying the truth. '_It must be very important for her to see her brother.'_ He doesn't really know what to do now or even what to say. He's not good comforting people. He can't seem to think of any response to what she said.

"_Don't apologize. It's my fault for jumping into conclusions. I really should have asked you first. I can see that, your brother, cancelling this meeting has made you feel disappointed. Let me make it up to you. Why don't e have some coffee first before going home? It'll be my treat. It's the least I can do." _Ichigo offered.

"_I don't know. I mean, is it appropriate for us to do this? What if somebody sees us and think bad about us? You might not care about it but I do." _She answered.

"_So what? We're not doing anything wrong. So I think it is okay. If you're worried about Inoue then don't be. She's not that kind of person. She won't get jealous that easily. She's not even the possessive type."_

"_How did you know? How long have you two been dating?" _Rukia was curious of their relationship. She broke up with her boyfriend before living in Karakura. She did that because she doesn't believe of long distance relationship. For her it's either she will lose interest to the guy or it's him who will get tired of her.

"_We've known each other since we were in first year high school. But I got interested of her three months ago. So I courted her. She said yes after 3 days which is pretty fast I think. And now we've been together for the past three months. She's nice and we don't have any kinds of problems yet. That's why I know she won't get mad even if she sees us together." _Ichigo replied.

He stood up and tapped his pants to wipe away the specs of dirt on them. When he was already standing he noticed that Rukia was still sitting on the ground so without thinking he held out his hand to her and offered his help.

Rukia was just staring at his hand and was in deep thought whether to take it or not. Even though she accepted his invitation of free treats, she is still trying to distance herself from him.

"_You know I won't bite. And I don't have diseases." _ Ichigo jested when he felt that Rukia was not going to take his hand.

Rukia smiled. '_He is very kind. I know this will be the start of a new relationship. He didn't even show that he felt sorry towards me when he asked me about my brother.' _ Rukia thought. Slowly while looking at him, never loosing eye contact, she lifted up her hand and reached for his.

The moment that their skin connected, Ichigo couldn't understand what he felt. Her skin is so warm and smooth. He had an urge to run his fingers at the back of her hand but controlled his self in doing so. He couldn't tell what he's feeling but there is one thing he is certain, he liked the way her hand fits inside his.

* * *

><p><em>"Hahaha! You should look at yourself! You have whipped cream on your nose! Is that a talent? I mean your talent? Drinking coffee with your nose? Hahaha! You look ridiculous right now!"<em>

"_Shut up! This is not a laughing matter! So shut it!" _Ichigo screamed at Rukia. They were having coffee when he accidentally touched the whipped cream with his nose while drinking.

"_Hey come on. Chill out! It's just cream. Just wipe it with napkin. Here let me help you." _Rukia took a napkin from Ichigo and reached out to Ichigo, who is sitting on the other side of the table, to help him clean up his nose. She was wiping his face thoroughly and was avoiding of hurting him with her fingernails.

"_See? It isn't that difficult." She_ looked at him and saw that he was staring at her face and then she noticed that there was just a small distance between them.

"_Uhm… There! It's clean."_She moved away from him too fast that Ichigo woke up from his reverie. He was embarrassed that he was caught looking at her. So he asked her a question to ease the tension_._

"_So what made you move here n Karakura town? You said that you used to live in Tokyo. Didn't you like it there?"_

Rukia was relieved that Ichigo didn't seem to be bothered by the awkward moment. "_My brother is a business man. He travels a lot to take care of his factories. He was offered by another business man to open up a new branch of his factory here in Karakura. He wanted to know if it will be successful to build a new one right here. I told him that we can only be sure if we observe it by ourselves. And the solution will be to live here. What about you? Were you born here in Karakura?"_

"_Yeah, my sisters and I, we all grew up in this town. I can't say that Karakura is perfect but for me this is the best. I can't think of a place that can compare to this. Not even Tokyo."_

"_Oh really? Well then if you're so sure about that why not prove it to me? _Rukia said while arching her eyebrow.

"_Tell me how and I'll do it! For the sake of my hometown." Ichigo was grinning too much since they went to the coffee shop. He was really having a great time._

Rukia thought of what to do. She decided that Ichigo can tour her around the town but she didn't want it to be that easy so she told him, "_I want you to take me to the top 5 most amazing places here in Karakura! One place in one day! Of course we should go every Saturday since it's the only day I'm free. So that means… it will take us FIVE WEEKS for us to finish! Isn't great?" _she was so excited that she didn't see Ichigo's face. It was pure shock.

"_Are you really sure that you would want me to accompany you? I don't have any problems with that but what about you?" _Ichigo was wondering why Rukia would want to be with him.

"_That's fine with me but I think we should ask Inoue first if it's ok with her. She might get mad if we go out without her. I don't want to cause any problems. Let's just talk about it next time." _ Rukia said that it was fine but she felt like she was offended with the idea of asking permission first from his girlfriend. It wasn't like their doing anything wrong. But she hid her feelings with a cheerful voice and a big smile.

"_If you say so. I'll tell her as soon as I see her. Don't worry, she won't say no so be prepared this coming Saturday."_

Ichigo looked at his watched and noticed the time._ "I think we should go. It's getting kind of late. My crazy father might search the entire city just to find me."_

"_Crazy? Did you just call your father crazy? Is that a new way to show affection?" _Rukia asked.

"_Eew! DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN! It's bad enough that I need to call her FATHER! Jeez!_

Rukia was standing up. She looked at the time. It was almost seven o'clock. It's a good thing that her brother wasn't at home or he will be furious. She still has lots of things to do including schoolwork so she decided to cut off the fun and go home. No one is waiting for her so she guessed that it doesn't matter what time she goes back. She didn't really want Ichigo to leave yet but she can't ask him to stay.

"_Will you be alright if you're alone? I think it will be better if I will take you back to your house." _Offered Ichigo. _'It's dark so it's only natural to be worried of her.' _He reasoned out to his self.

"_Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Nothings gonna happen. I can handle it if there will be trouble. Thank you for asking though." _She told him. She thought that he is really kind, worrying about her, but it is bad enough that she took his time. And also, like her, he has things to finish as well.

"_Well then if you say so. Just be careful and call me if something happened. Here's my number." _He wrote down his cellphone number on a piece of paper and he took her hand. He opened her palm and placed the folded paper on it. He lingered his hand on hers unconsciously for a few seconds before releasing it. _"Please, don't hesitate calling me." _He told her seriously.

Those few seconds of skin contact are enough for rukia to feel something kind of like electricity. She didn't know why and how but it was still there on her hand, lingering and slowly disappearing.

"_I won't have second thoughts of calling you if I have an emergency. I promise. I'll see you tomorrow at school!" _and with that she smiled and bowed her head to say goodbye.

"_Yeah, see you at school. Be careful going back home."_

Rukia waved her hand, turned around and walk away. She didn't see Ichigo staring at her back like wanting to stop her from going away. He was just looking at her retreating form. Not moving at all.

'_I'm going nuts! I'm always staring at her. But why does she make me feel like I need to stop her from getting away? Why did I like her company so much? I really did have a great time. The only reason why I invited her to hang out was because it was an obligation. And I felt sorry because I accused her but as the time passed by, I felt more comfortable and enjoyed talking to her maybe because she was not blushing when talking to me. She's not even shy to look at me in the eyes, unlike… What am I thinking? I should just go home before my thoughts run wild!'_

Ichigo turned around and started his way home at the exact moment Rukia, stopped walking.

* * *

><p>Rukia turned around and started walking. She was thinking of Ichigo. She didn't like how they started shouting at each other but the situation is different now. She can feel that they will have a deeper relationship. She likes him. It was very easy to feel comfortable and relax around him. She doesn't need to pretend that she's strong. Yes, she was embarrassed with her current situation, about her brother, but Ichigo was kind enough not to ask anything about it. She was thinking why she refused him to walk her home. He is really kind and gentle.<p>

She stopped and looked at what she is holding. The small thing on her hand looks very fragile and if she will grip it tightly she's pretty sure it will be crumpled and destroyed so she was holding it carefully. She won't lose that special piece of soft paper. She will need it in the future. '_Future? That means I already planned on calling him that fast.' _That simple thought made Rukia realized how much she enjoyed his company and wished that there is still time to be with Ichigo. So she decided to tell him that she wanted him to take her home. That was just an excuse to be with him.

When Rukia turned around, Ichigo turned right at a corner. She couldn't see him anymore. She didn't know where he went. She felt sad because she thought that he was waiting for her to disappear first before going home. She concluded that it was that easy for Ichigo to leave her alone and how eager he is walking away from her. She can't help but feel hurt. '_Who am I kidding? He didn't like spending time with me. He only asked me to hang out to console his conscience from arguing with me earlier. The reason why he gave me his number was not because he wanted me to call him but rather to get rid of me as soon as possible. I don't have the right to get angry and I should just be thankful that he exerted effort in making it up to me.'_

She looked one more time at her hand. She couldn't fathom what she's feeling. It confused her so much. The small white paper weighs too much in her hand. It was like burning at the same time. She can't take it anymore. The piece of paper got hotter and hotter and at the same times it got heavier.

"_What happened today won't happen again in the future."_

_Rukia turned around once more and behind her the wind blew away a small white piece of paper…_

* * *

><p><em>AN:_ I didn't meet my quota of reviews. but that's okay I've decided to continue writing anyway. When I write, it helps me in learning English which I need for my studies. Thank you so much for ALL the people who added this story to their favorites, alerts and who reviewed! It makes me so happy knowing that someone's waiting for an update. ^_^ Please review this chapter and tell me what you think about the story especially with the grammar. I'm not confident with my grammar because English is just my second language. Once again, THANK YOU!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own bleach. **

**Lost in Love**

**Chapter 3: **Two New Beginnings

"_**Ha… Ha… Ha…" **_A boy with long blazing red hair was panting in a very dark alley, hidden from everyone who passes by. He was sitting on the ground and was trying to rest even for a little while. He was careful not to make any sound and not to be caught.

"_**Find him! He's just here somewhere! No one will rest until he is found! That son of a bitch won't get away! I need you all to find him! Look everywhere even in the sewage!" **_ An angry man's voice was shouting at his company. He was tall with dark hair and scarred face. He looked like he can kill the person they were looking for. They were searching for him in every corner, alleys and even dumpsters. And in their eyes you can see thirst for blood, blood of a past friend.

The boy hiding heard every word that the man said. He heard footsteps approaching his hiding place so he crawled under a shiny black car parked nearby. Under the car he can see the feet of a man wearing pants and a long wooden bat which was used at him a moment ago and would have been the cause of his death if he didn't run away. The feet were walking around the car when they suddenly stopped in front of the car and the man kneeled.

The red haired boy was holding a long metal rod he picked up a while ago. He was hanging onto it as if his life depended on it. He saw the man kneeled in front of him and could feel that the end of his life is near.

"_**What are you doing there**_?" another voice shouted. This time it was deep, rough and sounded a little bit old. It belonged to a man in late 30's. He was wearing a black suit that looks like a uniform.

"_**I said, what are you doing there? That car is very expensive! If I see one scratch on it I will take you to the police! Why are you holding a bat? Were you going to hit it with that? Why you… Move away if you don't want me to take you to the cops!"**_

The teen ran away after the man shouted. "_**Kids these days, they don't get scared easily as they used to be. It was a good thing nothing happened to the car." **_The man said aloud little did he know that there was someone hiding under the car listening intently at what was happening.

"_**Is something wrong? I heard you shouting on my way here. I also saw a boy carrying a wooden bat. Are you okay Mr. Kenpachi?"**_

"_**Why Miss. Kuchiki! Yes, I'm fine nothing happened. I just saw a boy beside the car and thought that he was gonna hit it with a bat" Kenpachi**_ replied. He looked at Rukia and can see that she was carrying a lot of stuff. "_**Are those the only things that we need? Or there are still more boxes inside?" **_He asked Rukia.

"_**Yes, please help me get them and out then put them all in the trunk." **_Rukia asked for some help because obviously she was too small to carry large boxes.

The boy hiding was so tired that he couldn't comprehend what was happening. He wanted to sleep and rest. He had wounds all over his body and they were aching making him suffer a lot. When he saw two feet moving away he was convinced that no one's around. He crawled out and tried to stand straight. He stretched his arms and legs to see if their numb but he felt pain and almost fall to the ground again. It was a good thing that the car was just beside him so he leaned on it for support. Unfortunately the alarm went on.

He doesn't know what to do. His mind said to move and run but his body had other plans. He knew that someone walked towards him, heard a girl talking and calling his name but his eyes were closed from the pain so he couldn't see who it was. The girl touched his arms and was trying to make him look at her. But the blood flowing on his head was too much that he couldn't bare it anymore. He held the girl's arms and tried to open his eyes to see who she was. He saw a set of very familiar violet eyes staring back at him with worried look.

"_**Rukia…"**_

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Abarai! Are you okay? Abarai! Talk to me. Please wake up." <strong>_ Rukia kept on calling Renji to see if he will be conscious already. She was surprised to see him crawling under the car and was covered with blood. She called his name twice and touched his arms to tell him that she was beside him. When she saw him passed out she immediately shouted for help. Luckily, Mr. Kenpachi her driver came back fast and they took Renji to the hospital.

"_**Hhhhmmm… Where am I? Rukia is that you? What are you doing here?" **_Renji woke up and saw Rukia staring at him.

"_**Abarai! Thank God you're awake! I was so worried that something happened to you!" **_Rukia saw Renji trying to sit up so she stopped him all of a sudden.

"_**Don't move yet. It will be bad for your wounds. They might open again if you'll do that. How are you feeling?" **_ Rukia asked with a worried tone. She helped him lay down again on the bed.

"_**I'm Fine. Thank you for caring. Am I at the hospital?"**_

"_**Yes I was the one who saw you. Why were you wounded? You looked like you were going to die." **_Rukia informed Renji. She wondered what happened because obviously this was something that needed attention.

Renji dreaded that question. He didn't want to involve Rukia. He is a man and not a boy so he can face his own problems now.

"_**Don't worry about me. What's important is that I'm safe now thanks to you. If you didn't find me I might be dead by now. I owe my life to you."**_

Rukia saw that he was not gonna tell her what happened. She respected that because she had the same personality like him. She too didn't want anyone minding her business. She wanted to be left alone and think about all of her problems. Rukia understood Renji so she looked down and spoke to him.

"_**I understand. I'm not in the position to force you to tell me what happened. I'm sorry I asked." **_She sighed and then looked at him with a huge grin."_**Well then since I saved you, it is only natural to pay me back! How are you going to do that?"**_

Renji was surprised. He stared at Rukia for a long time. He couldn't believe that she didn't push her question and left her alone. He smiled at her that Rukia saw how grateful he was. He looked away and answered her. "_**Che! If you're asking for some date I'm sorry but I can't do that. I have very high taste when it comes to women. And to tell you the truth, you don't make the cut." **_He jested while trying to sound serious.

"_**Excuse me? For your information, I'm Rukia Kuchiki! I'm the most sought after girl back in my school. How dare you to tell me that! **_Rukia acted as though she was really hurt.

"_**Well if you didn't know miss most-sought-after-girl, you don't actually have any friends. No one actually hangs out with you. Not only that, they know you as a beautiful but lonely girl in… Ah! For… forget what I said. That's not true."**_ Renji stuttered when he just called Rukia beautiful. He blushed and looked away from her. Just a moment ago he didn't want to tell her that she's beautiful but it just slipped out of his mouth.

"_**ahhhh… Se… see! You do acknowledge that I'm pretty! I'm very flattered that you find me attractive. Thank you so much! **_Rukia said sarcastically. _**"Why can't you just admit it to me in a nice way? Huh?"**_

"_**Sh… Shut up! I didn't say you're attractive! I said you're beautiful" Renji**_ thought of a comeback but couldn't think of any.

"_**Hey! There's no difference between attractive and beautiful!" **_Rukia smiled at him that made Renji blushed even more.

"_**Yes there is! Stop arguing with me! Can't you see that I'm wounded?" **_He looked away to hide his face that was burning from her.

"_**Miss, we need to go now. Your brother already called he's worried. He said he needs you to call him as soon as you get back home safely." **_Kenpachi opened the door and the look of disappointment can be seen on his face. He didn't catch Rukia and Renji doing anything. _**"I'm sorry to interrupt your 'ahem' but we need to get going."**_

"_**Alright, please wait for me in the car." **_She turned to renji when her driver followed her instruction. _**"I'm sorry about that. He's always on guard to catch me doing any unnecessary things. Kind of creepy if you ask me. But I got used to it."**_

"_**I see. It's okay. No harm done." **_Renji told her.

"_**I'll see you tomorrow. The doctor said you can go home after two days. I'll come back to check on you." **_Rukia stood up and looked at Renji.

"_**Rukia…"**_

"_**Hmmm?"**_

"_**Thank you, for everything." He looked away from her.**_

"…"

Rukia didn't speak yet. She waited for Renji to look at her again. And when he did she smiled lovingly at him that made Renji's heart melt.

"_**No problem. It's my pleasure Abar…"**_

"_**Renji! Call me Renji." **_Renji said cutting her off.

Rukia smiled.

"_**Thank you Renji."**_

Rukia left and closed the door. She didn't hear the next words that Renji uttered quietly.

"_**You are beautiful." **_He muttered.

* * *

><p>It was Friday. One week had passed since Rukia moved to Karakura. One week had passed since she and Ichigo talked. She has been avoiding him as much as she can. Last Monday she saw him in a corridor at school. Ichigo smiled at her but she only nodded at him. He was on the doorway of their room and she was about to enter it but she turned to the bathroom door instead which was located beside their room. She waited inside for some time to pass. Rukia didn't know what to say to him when she'll face him.<p>

There was a day when Ichigo was approaching Rukia when the bell rang for lunch. It was a good thing that she saw Renji passed by. She called his name and Renji smiled at her.

(Flashback: Wednesday 12nn)

Rukia was packing up her bento and was preparing for lunch. The bell just rang and she's looking forward to a good meal.

"_**Ichigo! Where are we going to eat?" **_A bubbly voice called out. It belonged to Inoue.

"_**Uhm… Inoue, will it be okay if we invite someone to join us? I hope you won't mind." **_Ichigo asked her. He wanted to talk to Rukia. It has been a long time since they've chatted. He was worried that maybe he said something wrong to her that made her feel bad.

He saw Rukia at her desk and walked towards her.

"_**Hey"! **_Obviously Rukia didn't expect Ichigo at all. She jumped a little bit when he called her but regained her composure fast enough.

"_**Uhm… Kurosaki. Hi! Is something wrong?" **_she said out loud.

Ichigo felt uneasy when she called him Kurosaki without any kind of emotion. He wanted to know why but couldn't figure it out. _**"Well it's lunch time so would you like to join us? Then maybe we can talk about our plans to Inoue. What do you think?" **_Ichigo looked at Rukia and could tell that she was uncomfortable.

"_**Uhm.. I'm sorry but I can't. I… I… I… promised someone that I will join him for lunch." **_Rukia was so nervous. She didn't have any Idea how to escape.

"_**Oh really? Well then if you said 'him' would you mind telling me who this lucky guy is?" **_Ichigo inquired. He didn't believe that she was joining some guy. '_That's impossible. Huh! She's lying! She doesn't talk to anyone at all and just listens to music! Let's see how she will make her way out of this one. ' _Ichigo thought.

"_**Uhm… you see… We uhm… Ahh… RENJI!"**_

Rukia saw Renji through the door passing by. And relief washed through her body. His hands were on his pockets and he was not caring about the other students looking at his hair.

"_**Renji! " **_Rukia waved her hand when Renji turned his head. She smiled at him and felt good to see him out of the hospital and looking well. It was a good thing that Renji didn't feel shy smiling at her and he even waved at his hand motioning her to come to him.

"_**I'm sorry Ichigo, but Renji's here now. I think I should leave. He's waiting for me." **_She looked at Renji again and saw that he too was looking at her and was waiting at the door.

Ichigo leaned over Rukia's ear and whispered. This made Rukia blush a little bit._** "Rukia, are you sure you should be friends with that guy? I know him. He's always in trouble and has a bad reputation here at school. He's also always at the principal's office because of his behavior. You should think twice hanging out with him." Ichigo voiced out his concern.**_

Inoue saw Ichigo's action and felt uncomfortable. She knew that he doesn't like having physical contact with anyone especially with girls. She couldn't understand why she was feeling that way. _'Relax. He was just whispering something to her. They're not doing anything.' _She convinced herself but somehow she felt weird so she made her way to where Ichigo was.

"_**Ichigo!" **_ Inoue encircled her arms around Ichigo's but the said boy took them off and settled in just holding her hand. He's not the one for public display of affection. Inoue continued talking as if she didn't feel hurt of what Ichigo did. _**"Are you ready? I'm hungry so can we eat now? Oh! Kuchiki! Are you going to join us?**_

"_**I would love to but I promised someone that I will go with him. I'm sorry."**_

"_**Oh! Is he the one standing outside waiting? He looks really handsome. I think you two look really good together. When and where did you meet him?" **_Inoue took a peek at Ichigo and saw that his eyes were fixed at Rukia.

"_**No! Renji is just my friend. We always eat together during lunch. I'm really sorry but he has been waiting for quite some time now. I should go." **_She picked up her bento and looked at ichigo. He was still staring at her like he was contemplating on something. She looked at him in the eyes intensively and said, _**"I'm sorry. I'm busy. I'll talk to you next time."**_

Ichigo was dumbstruck. He doesn't know why Rukia was acting that way. And she won't tell him. He followed Rukia with his eyes and saw that the guy, Renji, has took her arms and dragged her away. It made Ichigo scowl hard.

"_**They look good together don't they?"**_

Ichigo's eyes were still on Rukia's disappearing form. When Inoue spoke, it woke him up and he looked at her.

"_**I suppose so. But I don't know if he's the right one for her. I mean, look at him. He looks like a good-for-nothing-person. I don't like him." **_He answered Inoue.

"_**Even if you don't like him we cannot interfere with their relationship. Rukia's NOT our friend. We don't have the right to intercept things that are about to happen." **_Inoue emphasized the words to make Ichigo realize that he's thinking too much of someone he just met for a week. She was starting to feel irritated.

Hearing Inoue say that made Ichigo realized that she was right. '_Inoue's right. I should leave them alone. It's not my duty to look out for her.' _He thought. Then he looked at Inoue and nodded. _**"Let's go. I'm starving. Let's just eat."**_

Inoue smiled when Ichigo's attention was back at her.

**(Present time)**

Rukia looked at Ichigo. He has stopped trying to talk to her. She didn't know whether to be happy about it because that's what she wanted or to be sad because she really liked him.

'_I suppose this is how it should be. He showed me kindness and was fun to hang around. I really thought that we could be friends. I felt like we were meant to meet but why did it turn out like this? Did I just assume that he didn't really like me? No! If he wanted to be friends he would have kept on approaching me until now. He didn't like me._' Rukia thought and moved her eyes away from Ichigo.

"_**It has been a week living here in Karakura, and still nothing is happening. I want to move back toTokyo. Byakuya is still not coming home. The only good thing that happened here is making friends with Renji. I like him. He listens when I talk and doesn't interfere too much. He even respects me. But I still don't feel happy."**_

Rukia was so lonely being alone. Although she likes it more than with someone but right now she felt completely lost. She walked out of school and went back to the river where Ichigo spotted her before. She lied on the grass and looked up at the sky. She put on her music and listened to some songs. While day dreaming, her eyes slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Ichigo was on his way home. He passed by the river bank because it was the shortest way to get to his house. <em>'I wonder what's for dinner. I'm starving.' <em>He was walking, thinking and even kicking some stones on his way. His gaze shifted to the river. It looked so beautiful. It's very clear and looked very clean like you can actually drink it. He was about to leave when he spotted something or rather someone. There were three people, two boys and one girl. They looked like teenagers. The girl was held by one boy. Ichigo saw him twisted the girl's arms and then pulled her hair. The other guy was holding the girl's bag.

Rukia was being held by a boy who's so much taller and bigger than her. She couldn't do anything but comply with what the boys were telling her. When the guy pulled her hair and twisted her arms, she felt pain. It was a stupid mistake to fall asleep alone in an open area. Now, she's in a situation where she doesn't know what to do. She was so afraid that something might happen. "_**Don't worry. We won't hurt you. Just do what we say and everything will be fine. Do you get it?" **_The boy who was in front of Rukiatold her while running his index finger on Rukia's cheeks. She tried turning sideways but to no avail. The guy holding her was strong and was pulling her hair with great force.

"_**Hey, look at her face. Isn't she pretty? I think it will be nice to play with her. Haha!"**_ the guy holding Rukia even pulled her closer to his face. The other one was about to touch Rukia again when they heard a rough voice commanding them.

"_**Let go of her! Leave her alone!" **_Ichigo yelled with anger. He went closer to the guy in front of Rukia and was ready to hit him with his fist.

"_**Who're you? Get away from here if you don't want to be involved. If you DON'T want to get hurt." The guy replied.**_

"_**Arrrrgghhhh! What the fuck are you doing? You'll regret hitting me!" **_the boy was hit by Ichigo on his jaw and was preparing to attack him.

Before the guy's fist landed on Ichigo he was punched again by him. This time Ichigo's punch was so hard that it made the guy fall back to the ground. Ichigo quickly pulled his collar and hit him on the face continuously while the man was still on the ground.

The other one got really angry that he threw Rukia. She got hurt but did her best to stand up to help Ichigo. So she grabbed the guy's arm to stop him from helping his friend but when the boy felt her he quickly slapped her hard that almost made her unconscious. The guy didn't see Ichigo coming to him because he was busy hurting Rukia. Ichigo was finished with the first one because he ran away without calling or helping his friend. When the other boy saw Ichigo he got scared of the look that Ichigo gave him. Ichigo was about to punch him on the face but stopped about an inch from before the contact.

"_**Get going! Move now!" **_ Ichigo shouted that made the guy quiver with fear. He ran away and didn't even look back.

Ichigo looked at Rukia who's still stunned at what happened. She couldn't even look at him straight. She was so embarrassed because she did everything to avoid him but he didn't even hesitate to help her. She was so ashamed of this that her tears started falling. She wiped them away with her hands and then she felt strong muscular hands touched her on shoulders. She looked at him in the eyes and guilt was written all over her face.

Ichigo looked at Rukia and he thought that she was crying because she was still scared of what happened. He felt sorry for her. It was a good thing that he saw her before anything happened. She was shaking terribly. He couldn't do anything for her but just hold her. So he slowly touched her on her shoulders and made her look at him. He saw that her tears were falling and he couldn't bare the sight. Realization started to hit him. She wasn't crying because she was scared but rather felt guilt towards him for the way she acted. He went closer to Rukia who was sitting on the grass, closer and closer, put his arms around her back and hugged her.

"_**Stop it. It's okay. I'm here. I'll protect you. Shhhh…. Nothing will ever happen again. I forgive you. Let's forget about everything. Please, stop crying." **_Those were Ichigo's comfort words to her but instead of making her feel better she felt more ashamed of herself for pushing him away. She didn't know what to say. In return, Rukia encircled her arms around his waist and cried even harder.

"_**I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"**_

She kept on repeating the same words over and over but when she looked up she could see Ichigo staring at her. He smiled. Through his smile she saw the start of a new beginning_**.**_


	4. Chapter 4: Friends

DISCLAIMER: I do not own bleach! Duh!

"Lost in Love"

Chapter 4: friends

It was dark already when A boy with bright orange hair got home. Ichigo was about to ring the bell when he remembered how crazy his father was. His father must be the most insane father in the world. He also knew that he must be worried at him but his father won't show him that. He thought of any reasons he can come up with but couldn't think of one. He decided it's better to just tell the truth since he didn't really do anything wrong. He only wished that his father won't make any assumptions about what happened.

He was standing at the door. Carefully, he took out his keys and put them in the knob to unlock it. Ichigo was waiting for something to come to him but none came. He stepped his one foot in the house and waited for some outburst. Ichigo closed his eyes. he waited and waited but no sound came.

Finally he decided to open up his eyes and look.

_**"Ahhhhhh! What ARE YOU DOING!"**_

Ichigo shouted. When he opened his eyes he saw his father's face an inch away from him. He didn't even feel or rather hear his lunatic of a father approaching him.

He pushed his father away from him but instead he was the one pulled to the ground facing the floor.

_**"Is this the right time for a boy of your age to come home? My son, tsk! What's happening to you? YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY! YOU BRING SHAME AND-"**_ Isshin, Ichigo's father stepped on his back while Ichigo was lying face down. He was crying and making a fuss about something silly when Ichigo pushed him away again from him and cut him off. This time Ichigo succeeded he stood up and raised his head to his father.

**_"SHUT UP! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING! IT'S JUST 8'o clock! JEEZ! DONT COMPLICATE SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE!"_**

**_"Ichigo, we came from respectable family! And not complying to the rules is unacceptable! We must be a good follower and be a good citizen. Going back home an hour late is inexcusable! We shoulmmmp-"_**

**_"AHHHHHH! don't ever talk to me again!"_**

Isshin was on the floor because his son just punched him on the jaw.

Ichigo went to the living room. He saw Karin and Yuzu, his twin sisters, doing their homeworks on the coffee table. They were sitting on the carpeted floor and was very busy. They heard their father and brother arguing but it was just a normal thing for them that they didn't even bother to look at the two men. When they heard Ichigo approaching them Yuzu looked up.

**_"Welcome home Ichigo. Are you okay? Why didn't you call to tell us that you were going to be late?"_**

**_"I'm sorry Yuzu I was caught up with something that I lost track of the time. Don't worry it won't happen again."_** ichigo smiled at his youngest sister.

_**"Well that was a first."**_ Karin answered sarcastically.**_ "Let me guess, YOUR GIRLFRIEND asked you to stay with her didn't she?"_**

**_"Ha..."_** Ichigo sighed. Karin never liked Inoue. When he told them about her being his girlfriend Karin has been very vocal of her opinion. He couldn't understand why Karin acted that way. Sometimes it was annoying for him but he can't change his sister's mind. She said it was because Inoue acted like she's a princess and how she clings onto him like, if Ichigo and Inoue were together the latter always do her best to keep him to herself. He didn't notice it at first but Karin was right. Inoue was a possessive girlfriend but she was also nice and she understands him. He really couldn't say anything bad about her. Aside from that, she has always shown how much she loves him and respects him.

**_"No. She didn't and will you please cut it out? She's not doing anything."_** Ichigo answered Karin. Looking straight at her with a scowl on his face. His father's idiocy started irritating him and now it's his sister's turn.

**_"Just ignore Karin. You know her, she's always looking for trouble"_** Yuzu interrupted.

**_"No wonder you and dad are the same!"_** snapped Ichigo at Karin.

**_"What! I DON'T look like him and I certainly DON'T act like him!"_**

**_"No, you DON'T act like him but you are as IRRITATING AS HIM!"_**

**_"My children! How can you be so cruel to your own father? Can't you be nice to me and tell me that you love me? Hey! Ichigo where are you going? Ichigo come back!"_** isshin was about to make a scene again. but once Ichigo saw his father he turned around and headed to his room.

The twins were just looking at them both. Yuzu remembered Ichigo hasn't eaten anything yet so she called him back.

_**"Ichigo! Are you not going to eat yet? We put some leftovers in the fridge. If you want I can heat them up for you."**_

_**"Nah. I'm not hungry. Just leave it in the fridge. I'm going to sleep now so don't disturb me. Do you three get**_ **_it?"_** he shouted back.

_**"Yes!"**_ All three of them answered. One with an enthusiastic voice. The second with a bored one and the last one with a dramatic rough voice.

Ichigo was lying on the bed. His hands were on the back of his head and had used them as pillows. He had changed into fresh clothes and has washed up. He was tired but couldn't sleep yet. He kept on thinking about what had happened at the river, about rukia.

Rukia admitted what she did. It actually surprised him because he didn't have a clue that he had hurt her. But like what Rukia had said it was her fault for assuming that he didn't like her.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

Ichigo and Rukia were sitting at the river bank. She had stopped crying already but was still sobbing a little. She explained everything to him and he understood her reason. Although Ichigo was a bit stunned he realized that Rukia had a personality of not trusting people which was the main reason why she thought he forced his self to be with her. He was still waiting for Rukia to stop and calm down when she spoke all of a sudden.

**_"Kurosaki, I'm really sorry. I know I've said this a couple of times now but I can't help it. I'm also very grateful of you for helping me with those boys. Thank you."_** Rukia looked up at Ichigo who was sitting beside her. When she said 'thank you' she smiled at him warmingly.

_**"Hey, like what I've said that's fine. I'm not mad."**_

_**"I know, why don't we go to my place to have dinner? Please accept my invitation. It's the least I can do."**_ rukia offered.

**_"Uhm... I don't really know. I mean you live with your brother. Don't you think he will be mad if I'll go to your house?"_** he looked at rukia and was scratching his head while asking her.

Rukia turned her gaze to the river when Ichigo mentioned her brother. _**"No, don't worry he's not home yet. My brother is still on a business trip. I'm not sure until when though."**_ she replied with a sad eyes. But she looked back at Ichigo and said with a bright smile, _**"Please let me make dinner for you. I promise it won't take long. I'll let you go before 7 o'clock. How's that sound? I'm really good at cooking."**_

* * *

><p>(Back at Ichigo's room)<p>

He didn't know why he said yes. All he knew was that Rukia looked cute while pleading. She smiled to him beautifully and it made Ichigo say yes._ 'If you would look at her you can see that Rukia is pretty but when you stare at her I can tell that she's not just pretty but amazingly beautiful. She has lovely eyes that will make you comply to whatever she wants and follow her. Hhhhmmm... Maybe I'm exaggerating but still she's pretty.'_

He remembered what happened to Rukia's house.

**(Flashback at Rukia's house)**

It was just a normal house. According to Rukia it had three rooms with two bathrooms. One bathroom was located in the master's bedroom and it was her brother's room and her room was beside it. The other one was a guest room since Byakuya often had a visitor. The other bathroom was in the first floor. The kitchen was not too big nor too small. All the cabinets were filled with food and also the fridge. Rukia was busy preparing meals. She was wearing an apron and hairnet.

**_"Do I look weird?"_**

**_"Huh?"_** Ichigo's cheeks reddened when Rukia caught him staring at her.

**_"You were looking at me like you can't believe that I can cook."_** Rukia continued putting ingredients in a bowl.

**_"Actually I KNOW you CAN'T cook."_** teased Ichigo. He looked at Rukia from head to toe and even rolled his eyes to show how much she looked silly.

**_"Excuse me? I can cook! You just wait it will be the best dish you've ever tasted!"_** she answered proudly.

In the kitchen there is a bar counter with seats. Ichigo was sitting on one. Rukia was on the other side of the counter and was cooking. She was mixing everything in front of Ichigo.**_ "Oh really? We'll see later if it's true."_** Ichigo leaned over the counter to be closer to Rukia. **_"By the way the water's boiling."_** He mocked.

**_"Oh no!"_** Rukia turned around and looked at the pot. The water wasn't boiling yet.

Ichigo was grinning at her for panicking when a dish rag was thrown at his face. He saw Rukia sticking out her tongue.

**_"Geez! Aren't you a little old to stick your tongue out to someone?"_**

**_"No, and I don't care!"_**

**_"Well considering your height I guess it's okay. I mean you obviously look like a thirteen year old kid."_** Ichigo arched his left eyebrow and was having fun teasing Rukia because he could sense that she gets mad easily.

_**"WHAT! I don't look like a thirteen year old kid! You have the guts to tell me that when it's actually you who looks silly having very bright orange hair! Come on! You're seventeen and yet you dyed your hair like a carrot! But don't worry it suits your name. STRAWBERRY! haha!"**_ Rukia was cutting some vegetables while talking to Ichigo or rather teasing him.

_**"My name doesn't mean strawberry it means "the one who protects". Don't ever call me by that word! And I didn't dye my hair! This is a natural color!"**_ Ichigo retorted back.

**_"Fine! But don't make fun of my height again or you'll be dead! D'you get that?"_** snapped Rukia.

**_"See! You do know that you're a MIDGET! Ow! What the hell was that for? Stop throwing things at me "_** Ichigo was touching the spot on his forehead where Rukia just threw a spoon at him.

_**"Stop calling me midget! Or I'll brea- Ouch! What the-Urg!"**_ rukia didn't look at what she was cutting with the knife so she accidentally hurt herself. She was about to suck out the blood with her mouth when two strong hands touched hers.

**_"Are you okay? You were supposed to be looking at what you're doing not goofing around! Do you have any band aid?"_** Ichigo wasn't teasing Rukia anymore. When she shouted he immediately pulled Rukia's hand over the counter to him. He looked closely at her wound. Fortunately it was a shallow one.

**_"Wait here and dont do anything!"_** he left Rukia and went to the living room. Rukia was staring at the spot he disappeared. It was just a minute when Ichigo came back. He went to Rukia and took her hand again. He washed the cut finger in the running water and then dried it with a cloth from his pocket.

**_"Don't ever suck out the blood. That's not a good idea. This,"_** Ichigo was wrapping the wound with the band aid. **_"is much better so it wont get infections."_**

**_"There! It's finished!"_** he looked at Rukia and saw that she was blushing. He soon realized that he was still holding her hand.

**_"I'm sorry. Uhm... The water's really boiling this time."_** he awkwardly said.

Rukia was staring at him the whole time and couldn't speak. He was just treating her wound but when he touched her hand there was that funny feeling again that she had the first time he held her. She was blushing and wanted to take away her hand but Ichigo was totally wrapped up with it and wasn't even uncomfortable.

Rukia turned around and saw that the water was really boiling so she continued cooking without a word. A moment later Ichigo spoke again.

_**"You know I actually thought you live in a whole lot bigger house than this. I mean, your brother is a business man who travels a lot to other countries so doesn't that mean you have the money to live in luxury? I was also thinking about maids."**_ Ichigo was back sitting at his original place by the counter. His gaze swept through the entire kitchen and then settled to Rukia.

**_"Well, my brother was going to buy the kind of house I'm sure you're imagining but I know he will be gone most of the time and I definitely didn't want to live alone in that kind of place so I told him to buy just a simple one. As for the maids, there is one. She does every cleaning and laundry but Byakuya let me do the cooking when I asked him if I can cook for us."_**

**_"Wow! Sounds like your brother gives you everything you want, doesn't he?"_**

Rukia looked down and hid her sad face away from Ichigo.

**_"Yeah, you can say that."_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Now, do you believe me that I can cook?"<em>** Rukia and Ichigo had just finished their dinner. It was superb although Ichigo won't admit it. they were just having coffee to pass some time. Rukia was really having a great time. She didn't want to think about what was going to happen when Ichigo will leave. Later on she will be left alone again. All Alone in an empty house.

**_"Fine, I admit it! You are a great cook. Better than Inoue I must say."_** ichigo was praising her for a job well done.

**_"Really? Wow! Thanks, I mean she's your girlfriend but maybe you did like my cook for you to say that I'm better."_** Rukia was smiling at Ichigo.

**_"Kuchiki! You should taste Inoue's dishes and see for yourself if it's good or not."_**

Ichigo called Rukia By her last name. It made Rukia feel uncomfortable because she really felt that they were friends already and she thought that it was enough. So she looked at Ichigo with a sincere look on her face and talked to him.

_**"Uhm... Can I ask you a something?"**_

_**"Yeah! Sure what is it?"**_

_**"I know that we've just known each other for a few days and it might not be enough for you but will it be okay if I'll call you by your name? I mean if from now on I can call you "Ichigo"?"**_ She looked at Ichigo with hopeful eyes.

Ichigo looked at her. He can see that it's really important for her. She was showing all of her emotions today. She smiled often and not as an obligation. She talked to him without being embarrassed. She even got mad at him for teasing her and wasn't even afraid to show him. 'I guess she's right. We are friends now and I did have fun being with her.' Ichigo was about to answer her when he remembered her doubts about being friends. Rukia was sitting on the sofa in front of him. He stared at her and held her gaze with his eyes. He did everything he could to show her how true his next words are.

**"Rukia, trust me if I'll say that I did have a wonderful time today. I enjoy every bit of it that passed. I guess all I'm trying to say was, please trust me and be my friend. I would really be happy if you'll accept it. You can call me "Ichigo"."**

A smile was visible on Rukia's face. She was truly grateful of Ichigo. She can see how sincere his words were and and she was touched by them. She looked down at him and said, _**"Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me. I know I did something stupid and i've regretted it. I also thank you for helping me. You're a nice guy, Ichigo."**_ Rukia pronounced his name with clarity and looked at Ichigo in the eyes.

**_"Alright! I told you that I will be your tour guide here in Karakura so on Saturday we will start our plan. There are five most important places for me and we will start this coming Saturday."_** enthusiastically he replied.

**_"Ok! I will talk to Inoue to tell her about that and ask for her permission. If she won't say yes, then I will respect her decision. She might be the jealous type of girlfriend."_**

**_"Sure!"_** Ichigo said. **_"Give me your phone Rukia."_**

**_"Why?"_**

**_"I'm not going to take it. Geez... Just give it to me."_**

Rukia stood up and went to get her phone from her bag. She gave it to Ichigo who took it without any word and pressed some numbers on it. Rukia looked at what he was doing when another phone rang.

**_"That's mine. Now I have your number. I will call you if I'll need to."_** he smiled at her.

This made Rukia smile even more. She couldn't say anything so instead of speaking she just nodded her head with a huge grin plastered on her face.

**_"Thank you Ichigo."_**

Ichigo answered her with a smile.

* * *

><p>the day passed by. Ichigo was so tired. He could still hear his father making a fuss about something and he's sure that whatever it was it wasn't worth knowing. He turned sideways and looked at his phone. It was on silent but it glowed all of a sudden signaling him that a message has been sent. He took it and read the message.<p>

**_"Thank you so much STRAWBERRY! ^_^ I appreciate everything you did. Goodnight, Ichigo..."_**

A smile crept along his face and he quickly pressed the buttons of the phone. In his message it read,

**_"No problem, MIDGET... Goodnight Rukia..."_**


	5. Chapter 5: The best day

**Lost in love**

**Chapter 5: the best day**

_**"Rukia."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia stirred in her sleep. She slept late last night because of homework and now she was too lazy to wake up. She felt something moving but decided to ignore it. Someone was calling her name but she wouldn't open her eyes.<p>

_**"Rukia."**_

_**"Hhmmm?"**__**  
><strong>_

_**"Rukia you have to wake up. It's 7 o'clock now."**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Why are you still in bed?"<strong>_

Rukia slowly opened her eyes a bit. She saw a figure but still couldn't make out what or who it was. Suddenly there was bright light. She closed her eyes back again, covered her face with the blanket and grunted.

_**"Urg! I want to sleep! Leave me alone!"**_

_**"This will be the last time I will call your name. Rukia."**_

That did it. Rukia's eyes snapped open. She immediately uncovered herself, sat up and looked at the person talking. She saw a man wearing black shoes standing beside her bed. And when she looked higher she saw long raven hair that reached the owner's shoulder and when she took her gaze a little bit higher she saw a face she hasn't seen for almost two weeks. A smile crept along her face that was unnoticed by her.

_**"Byakuya!"**_

She greeted her brother excitedly. She wanted to hug him but she knew that it would be awkward for her brother so she controlled herself from doing so.

_**"Rukia. Why are you still on bed? Weren't you supposed to be in school?"**_Byakuya looked at his sister without any emotion. He just stood beside her and didn't even bother to smile.

_**"Oh my God! I totally forgot! Urg! Why didn't I wake up? I need to go. I'm sorry brother."**_ Rukia got up and bowed in front of her brother_**. "I need to get ready. I'll talk to you later. I'm sorry."**_she went outside her room but stopped by the door. She peeked her head in and smiled at her brother.

_**"I'm so glad that you're home!"**_and then she went straight to the bathroom.

Byakuya looked at his sister. _'She hasn't changed. Hhhhmmm... I'll just give this to her later when she gets back home.'_He was holding a box wrapped with bright red color and a white ribbon was tied on top of it. He went back to his own room and decided to rest for a bit because of all the work he did he was really stressed.

* * *

><p>Ichigo was in the classroom already waiting for Inoue to come. He came earlier than usual to talk to her before more students arrive. He knew that she is an early riser therefore she is punctual. He wasn't only waiting for Inoue, Ichigo was also waiting for Rukia. He wanted to know if everything was alright. When he left her last night it bothered him. He didn't want Rukia to be alone in that house. It could be dangerous for a girl to live alone. She should have someone to be with her<em><strong>. <strong>__'How can her brother leave her without any one to accompany her? She's just seventeen.'_Ichigo heard someone opened the door and when he looked he saw Inoue smiling at him. She was walking towards him already.

_**"Ichigo! What are you doing here so early?"**_

_**"Yeah Ichigo, what are you doing here? Im not used to see you here in school at this time."**_Tatsuki a girl with short black hair butted in. She was Inoue's best friend since grade school. She's a tough girl that always does her best when it comes to kicking someone else's butt. She was also Ichigo's friend and they've known each other since they were five years old.

_**"Ha ha! Very funny. It's none of your business Tatsuki."**_Ichigo answered her sarcastically.

_**"Stop It guys! It's such a good day to waste. Let's not get into each other's hair."**_

_**"Hey, don't worry were not taking it seriously."**_Ichigo was amazed that Inoue thought he and Tatsuki were really arguing. Inoue didn't like it if they acted kids and were teasing each other. _**"Anyway, Tatsuki can you leave us for a minute? I need to talk to Inoue in private." **_he directed his gaze to Tatsuki.

_**"Okay. I'll leave you two alone."**_

_**"Thanks!"**__**  
><strong>_  
>Inoue smiled at ichigo. She pulled the chair beside him and sat on it. <em><strong>"What it is about? Is something wrong?"<strong>_she asked curiously.

_**"No, nothing's wrong. Uhm... You do know Rukia right?"**_

_**"Rukia? Hhhmmm... Rukia... Rukia... Ah! Do you mean Kuchiki Rukia? Our new classmate?"**_

_**"Yeah. Well yesterday we talked for a little bit and I asked her if she wants I can show her around Karakura. But she said that she thinks we need to tell you first and if you won't agree with it then I won't do it. Well what do you think? I mean I don't think there's any problem regarding it, but still it'll be up to you."**_Inoue was leaning towards Ichigo as he talked. He felt uncomfortable because they were in the room with some students and she was getting too close to him. He didn't want them thinking that they were affectionate in public so he sat properly to move a little bit farther from his girlfriend.

The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Inoue. She awkwardly leaned on the chair. It made her move far from Ichigo_**. "Well I suppose it's okay. I mean it's not like you'll do anything you're not supposed to, right?" **_Ichigo shifted uncomfortably when Inoue said that. Inoue's intention was just to kid. She didn't expect it will come out seriously. _**"Uhm... I mean It's not like you two will be in trouble right?"**_

Ichigo knew she didn't intend it to sound like she suspected him. He smiled at her and said_**, "Don't worry we'll be careful. Maybe you can join us. I'm sure Rukia will like that."**__**  
><strong>_  
><em>'There it goes again. He called Kuchiki by her name. How come he looks great about it? Mentioning Kuchiki's name makes it look like they're very close now.'<em>Inoue couldn't help it but feel envious of Rukia. She had been trying to make Ichigo call her Orihime but he wouldn't do it. But now, he just didn't say Rukia's name once but twice. She wondered what happened to Ichigo and Rukia's time together yesterday. It seemed special because it looked like they're now close or like friends.

She was staring at the floor when he mentioned Rukia's name but when she looked back at him she saw that he was smiling. A very lovely smile that's very unusual to see. It made her heart jump to see her boyfriend smiling at her like he's happy to be hers. She couldn't help but to agree with him.

_**"Sure! I can also tour her around Karakura. I mean we're both girls so there are obviously more places that the both of us can go than with you. Don't you think so?"**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Yeah! I'll tell Rukia when she gets here. I wonder where she is. It's almost time for the first period. I hope nothing happened to her."<strong>_ Ichigo looked hopefully at the door. More students came but none with short raven hair. _**"She should be here by now."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Inoue also looked at the door. When her gaze went back to Ichigo she saw worry all over his face. <em>'What's happening here? They only talked for a little while yesterday but why does he act like they've known each other for a long time?'<em>_  
><em>  
><em><strong>"Ichigo, don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to her. Why are you so worked up about her? How can you be so sure that she's in trouble?"<strong>_Inoue was starting to get irritated. She and Ichigo had been together for twenty minutes but all they've talked about was Rukia.

_**"Well, Rukia's brother is out of town and she only lives with him and now that he's gone she's home alone. I really wish there's nothing wrong."**_Ichigo was definitely worried now. The teacher just came and was starting the lesson.

Inoue was about to argue but when their Sensei came her chance disappeared. She went back to her seat irritably.

Ichigo looked at the door one last time. Still no Rukia in sight. He took his phone out and texted.

**Rukia Kuchiki: hey! Were are you? Are you alright? Text me back.****  
><strong>  
>He sent his message and waited.<p>

* * *

><p>The door burst open. Rukia was panting and was holding the edge of the door. Because she was out of breath she looked down and tried to breathe normally. When she looked up all her classmate and sensei were looking at her. Of course it's not every day someone will just suddenly open the door and completely forgot that there were people. She was so embarrassed that her cheeks reddened.<p>

_**"I'm sorry. Uhm... Something happened so I'm late."**_ She looked at her sensei and bowed to her and then she faced her classmate and also bowed to them. _**"I'm sorry I disturbed the lesson."**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"That's fine Rukia. Please take your seat."<strong>_Ochie Sensei told Rukia.

_**"Yes! Thank you!"**_Rukia gave her Sensei her nicest smile and proceeded to her place beside Ichigo.

Ichigo saw her and relieve washed through him. He was about to excuse his self from class to call her, fortunately she came. He nodded at her and when he saw Rukia settled already he leaned to her.

"_**Hey! What happened? Why are late? Is something wrong?"**_

_**"What? What makes you say that? There's no problem. I'm fine. I was tired last night so I slept in. By the way, my brother's back."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Ichigo was glad with the news. Now she won't be alone anymore. <em><strong>"Really? That's great! When did he retu-"<strong>__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Kurosaki! Kuchiki! Is there something you would like to share with the class?"<strong>_Ochie Sensei saw the two talking with each other so she shouted to get their attention.

_**"Uhm.. No Sensei. There isn't. We're sorry." **_Rukia smiled again at her Sensei and decided to lend her ears to her Sensei.

_**"Well then, please focus on the lesson."**_

_**"Yes!" **_both Ichigo and Rukia answered.

Inoue was staring at the both of them. At first she was just irritated but now she's jealous. She knew that it was not right to feel that way because she has no right, but she can't help it_. 'Ichigo told me that he doesn't like it if we show affection towards each other in front of people, but how come he was even the one coming closer to Kuchiki? Not only that I saw him smile to her while they were whispering. He also seemed relax when she came. Was he really that worried of someone he just met? And why does he keep on calling her Rukia?'_ she looked back at the both of them and sighed_. 'I'm acting paranoid. Nothing's happening and here I am thinking too much. I should trust Ichigo. He never did anything to hurt me so I'm sure nothing's going on between them'_Inoue smiled and decided to ignore her feelings by paying attention to her sensei.

The rest of the morning passed by quickly. Nothing interesting happened. Rukia was writing some notes to study later at home when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and read the message. She saw two messages. She read the first one.

**Rukia Kuchiki: hey! Where are you? Are you alright? Text me back.****  
><strong>  
>A smile was visible on Rukia's face. She didn't read this message before going to school because she was in a hurry. She didn't know that it was from Ichigo. Quickly, she pressed some buttons and sent a message to Ichigo.<p>

**Ichigo Kurosaki: I'm sorry i didn't have time to read your text to me as you can see I'm in a rush. Worried too much STRAWBERRY?****  
><strong>  
>The next message was from Renji. He was asking to have lunch with him again on the roof. Since she doesn't eat with anyone aside from him she accepted. Rukia was about to put her phone back to her bag when a new message was sent to her. It was from Ichigo.<p>

**Rukia Kuchiki: No I wasn't! I was just curious that's all! Don't be so full of yourself! MIDGET!****  
><strong>  
>She was going to text him back again when she saw her sensei walking towards her. She immediately put back her phone in her bag. She looked at Ichigo who was grinning behind a book. He obviously was happy that she couldn't get back to him. She narrowed her eyes at him and then rolled them. She thought that Ichigo was being childish but it suited him. She took a piece of paper and wrote a small note on it. She folded the paper and when the teacher wasn't looking she quickly tossed it to the orange haired boy beside her.<p>

Ichigo saw a folded paper flew on his desk. He unfolded it and read the note.

**'This isn't over! STUPID STRAWBERRY!'****  
><strong>  
>He smiled widely. She wasn't giving up. She was still doing her best to have her revenge even if the stakes of getting caught is high. He looked at her and put his hands up, a sign of giving up. He can see that Rukia was too stubborn to stop their non verbal bickering so he gave way<em>. 'Huh! Just for now you just wait! Annoying midget!'<em>he jested to his self.

* * *

><p><strong>Riiiiing!<strong>**  
><strong>  
>The sound of the lunch bell was heard all throughout the school. Every student stopped what they were doing and prepared for lunch.<p>

Rukia took her bento from her bag and was about to go to the roof where she will meet Renji when Ichigo spoke to her.

_**"Hey! You're in a hurry. Are you trying to catch something?" **_Ichigo picked up his bento and was ready to have lunch.

_**"Oh! Not really, but I promised Renji we'll have lunch on the roof today so he might be waiting by now."**_ Rukia talked to Ichigo but her attention was at her phone. She just received a message from Renji asking her where she is. _**"See."**_ She held up her phone to Ichigo. _"He is waiting. I need to go. Uhm... I will talk to you later?" _she finally looked at him and arched her eyebrows to him while asking the question.

_**"Certainly. Well we do need to talk. It's about Inoue. I already asked her but I think yo-"**_Rukia cut off Ichigo. She answered her phone because it rang all of a sudden.

_**"Hello? Hey! I'm on my way. Yeah, you don't need to call me. I'll be there in five minutes. What? I'm only ten minutes late! Yeah, see you!"**_Rukia was talking through the phone. Renji had called her. He was wondering where she was because she wouldn't answer his text.

_**"I'm sorry Ichigo, I need to go. I promise I'll go talk to Inoue later before going home. Alright? "**_

"_**Rukia, why are you still hanging out with that guy Renji? I told you, he's a good for nothing person. You'll just be in trouble if you continue doing this! Come on, call him back and tell him you won't eat with him."**_

"_**Ichigo I can't d that. Renji's my friend and he hasn't done anything to harm me. Will you cut it off? He's a nice guy.I'll go now koay? Bye! See ya later!"**_Rukia left the room without even waiting for Ichigo's answer. She went straight ahead to the roof.

Ichigo was staring at her. He felt Inoue tugged on his uniform. When he looked at her he saw her smiling so he smiled also. Inoue pulled him on his clothes and was leading the way. Outside the room he saw Rukia on the stairs talking to the guy who was Renji. A puzzled look was on Ichigo's face. He stared at them until Rukia and Renji went up the stairs and he couldn't see them anymore.

* * *

><p>The end of the day was near. The students were all getting ready to leave and go back home. Rukia was waiting for Inoue to finish packing her notebooks. When she saw that Inoue was done she approached her.<p>

_**"Hey! Uhm, can I talk to you for a while?"**_Rukia was definitely nervous. She hasn't talked to Inoue seriously. The only times they had a conversation was when the auburn haired girl asked her for lunch during her first day at Karakura High.

_**"Oh! Kuchiki! Is anything wrong?"**_

_**"Uhm nothing's wrong I just want to ask if you would like to join me for a cup of coffee? I know we don't really talk but I was hoping you would accept my invitation."**_Rukia stared at Inoue with pleading eyes. She had a good plan for today. She will ask Inoue for coffee then they will go to the mall. She made up her mind. She and Inoue will be friends and this day will be the best day in her life. She just hopes that everything will turn out right. Inoue looks like a good person. She was really kind and was even trying to be friends the moment they met.

Inoue was surprised. She smiled at her and thought_**, **__'Kuchiki's so kind. I thought she didn't want me to be her friend but now she's even inviting me for an afternoon hangout. At least she's thinking of a way to make up to me.'_

_**"Sure! I mean, it'll be fun! Oh we should invite Tatsuki also. I'm sure she would love that! Oh wait, I hope it's okay with you."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia nodded to Inoue<em><strong>. "Of course that will be fun. Tatsuki is the girl that you're always with, right?"<strong>_

_**"Yes! Come, I'll introduce you to her."**_ Inoue and Rukia went over to Tatsuki who was currently talking to Ichigo.

_**"No Ichigo. You should hold the guy properly on the head. Make it tight so there won't be a chance that he will escape. Oh! Orihime! What's up? Are you ready to go?"**_Tatsuki was talking to Ichigo but then she spotted Inoue with Rukia. Her eyes were on Rukia curious why she was with Orihime.

_**"Oh nothing. What are you two talking about?"**_Inoue encircled her arms around Ichigo's to direct his question to him.

_**"Nothing. We were discussing the proper way to strangle someone. Huh! Tatsuki here thought she's better at it than me."**_answered Ichigo while rolling his eyes at Tatsuki.

_**"But that's the truth! I am better than you! Admit it Ichigo I can beat your ass anytime I want!"**_Tatsuki retorted back.

_**"Enough with it guys! You're scaring Kuchiki."**_ Inoue looked at Rukia while talking. She sensed Rukia getting quite uncomfortable. _**"Tatsuki I know you haven't met, I mean, haven't been properly introduced to Kuchiki before. I want you to meet Kuchiki Rukia our new classmate of course. And Kuchiki this is Tatsuki my best friend since grade school."**_ Rukia held out her hand though she felt nervous. At first Tatsuki was looking at Rukia's out stretched hand but then she smiled and took it.  
><em><strong><br>**__**"Nice to meet you Kuchiki."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia smiled and shook their hands together. She let go of Tatsuki's and took one step backwards. She bowed her head and said, <em><strong>"It a pleasure to meet you too!"<strong>_

_**"Wow! I didn't know you're very polite." **_Tatsuki grunted. _**"You should hang out with Ichigo. You will learn how to be a brat and rude!" **_She added teasingly while elbowing Ichigo.  
><em><strong><br>**__**"What! I don't act like a brat and I'm certainly not rude!" I**_chigo shouted at Tatsuki's face. He leaned his face over her.

_**"Yes you do! Want me to prove it? Come on! If you can beat me I'll take back everything I've said."**_

_**"Fine! You're on! Let's go outside to start this!"**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Don't cry if I'll beat you! Stupid brat! We'll see you outside Inoue!"<strong>_Tatsuki ran outside the room following Ichigo who was already halfway down the hall.

Inoue smiled awkwardly at Rukia. _**"I'm sorry. They always do these kinds of things. But don't worry they don't take it seriously. I always try to stop them but they won't even listen to me."**_

_**"Don't worry I don't see anything wrong. Uhm, Inoue would you still want to have coffee with me?"**_Rukia remembered her reason why she talked to Inoue so she asked her again.

_**"Of course let's follow Ichigo and Tatsuki and tell them. But they will agree I'm sure of it."**_ Inoue saw Rukia fidgeting like she wanted to say something to her. _**"Is there something you would like to ask Kuchiki?"**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia was surprised at Inoue she stared at her and gave her the most sincere smile she can give. <em><strong>"Well actually I would like to ask for your permission."<strong>__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Oh! Does this have something to do with you and Ichigo?"<strong>_Inoue saw Rukia having a hard time asking her so she did her job and stop the pain Rukia was having.

_**"Oh! You know about it? Wait, Ichigo asked you, didn't he?"**_Rukia's spirit was lifted up.

_**"Yes. He did and it's okay with me. I don't think there's gonna be any problem with that. Besides I don't think you're the kind of person who takes someone else's boyfriend. That's fine with me. Hey! Maybe I can even tour you around Karakura! I'm sure there are lots of things that we can do together. What do you think?**_" Inoue looked so bubbly that she looked like she about to burst from happiness.  
><em><strong><br>**__**"Thanks! I'm so glad you said yes. Thanks again. Of course we can go shopping together, get our hair and nails done! I'm sure Ichigo won't like to do those things with me. Unless I want to go wrestling which I don't have any interest then pretty sure he would reject me."**_ Rukia smirked and looked at Inoue_**." So let's go to the mall?"**_Rukia was grinning from ear to ear.

Inoue was laughing at what Rukia said. She felt ridiculous for thinking stupid things about Rukia and Ichigo a moment ago. Now she's sure that all those thoughts were just in her mind_. "Right! Let's get the two love birds before they harm themselves." _Inoue carried her backpack behind and then started walking to the door. She stopped and faced _**Rukia "Oh and by the way, rukia? Can I now assume that we are friends?"**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia smiled slowly. She felt embarrassed and shy around Inoue cause of her actions towards her before but still she managed to tell her,<br>_**  
><strong>__**"Yes! I would love to be your friend."**__**  
><strong>_  
>They went outside to fetch Ichgio and Tatsuki. Rukia felt happier. Her brother came back, she has Renji, Ichigo, and possibly Tatsuki and now Inoue.<p>

_'This is the real start of my day here living in Karakura. The best day yet!'_Rukia couldn't stop smiling a lot. She couldn't help it. She felt overwhelmed today because of how things turned out Even though if one will look at the situation it doesn't seem to be enough reason to be happy, but Rukia was a simple person so she was satisfied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I'm sorry if you think the chapter ending was lame. Thanks for reading! ^_^ leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6: First Stop

Lost in Love

Chapter 6: first stop; Haunted by the past

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach

Saturday morning. Ichigo was getting ready. He woke up at 6 o'clock. Usually he wakes up at ten in the morning every Saturday but today it was different. He took a bath and was on his way back to his room. When he went to his closet he picked out his clothes properly. He looked at them and searched for something to wear. He chose his black jeans, ironed already, so he took them and wore them. Next he saw a plain colored white shirt. He matched it with a jacket that has a 'KUROSAKI' written on the back. He also took his black sneaker and wore them. He combed his hair with the usual style and then checked his self at the mirror.

Today is the day that he and Rukia will go to a place of his choice. They talked yesterday about it but he didn't tell her where they were going. Rukia bugged him all day even making up excuses, catching him off guard and a lot more but they didn't work. Rukia got frustrated and even told him that she won't come if he won't tell her. Ichigo, being the stubborn guy he is, didn't even pity the short girl with her feeble attempts.

_**"Oh well, guess I'm decent enough. Hhhmm I wonder if Rukia's ready. I think I better call her first."**_Ichigo went to his study table and picked up his phone on it. He dialed Rukia's number and waited for an answer. It rang for quite a while then someone from the other end spoke.

_**"Hello? Ichigo?"**__**  
><strong>_

_**"Hey! Are you ready?" **_ichigo was getting anxious.

_**"I'm almost done. Are you gonna pick me up?"**_Rukia was drying her hair while talking on the phone.

_**"Yeah, I called just to tell you I'm on my way. Please don't make me wait for you in that house so you better be ready when I get there."**_Ichigo hates waiting too long for someone. He doesn't like it when Inoue is late on their dates and it always happen. Inoue's not just late for ten minutes nor fifteen, it's always thirty minutes and it annoyed him so much.

_**"Hey just get your ass here and you can see that I'm done. Or if you want we can just meet in that mysterious place your so proud of."**_anticipation was oblivious in Rukia's voice and Ichigo could sense it.

_**"Wow! You really are one of a kind! You're so stubborn! We're on our way already to that place and yet you still haven't given up asking me. That's a record Rukia."**_Even though Rukia couldn't see Ichigo she could feel him rolling his eyes and narrowing them.

_**"Just trying. Alright. I'll wait for you. Be careful. See ya!"**_Rukia hung up the phone and went back to tying her hair. She was wearing skinny jeans with boots and a blouse that has row of buttons that was tucked in her jeans. She tied up her hair in a ponytail so it sways from side to side when she walks. She looked at the mirror and took a picture of herself using her phone's camera.

_**"Oh right I almost forgot."**_Rukia went over her table's drawer and took out a black box. Inside the box there was a necklace. Byakuya gave it to her on the night that he returned. She took the necklace out of the box and put it on her. The necklace was a silver one with a star as a pendant. She likes it so much because it was given to her by her brother. Although he always gives her souvenirs from the place he's been to, this necklace was her favorite because she can wear it anytime and bring it with her.

_**"Hhhmmm... I wonder where we'll go. I can't wait!"**_Suddenly she remembered Inoue. Yesterday she asked Inoue whether she wanted to come with them. But Inoue refused and told her she will be busy.

* * *

><p>(FLASHBACK)<p>

_**"Uhm... Inoue I just want to ask, are you sure you can't come with us? Maybe you can visit your aunt next Saturday?" **_Rukia kept on asking Inoue to come with them since She and Ichigo told her about going away for the weekend but Inoue had other plans already and she told them she couldn't be with them. they were sitting and talking in their classroom discussing about the wonderful places in Karakura when rukia asked Inoue for the fifteenth time that day to accompany her and Ichigo.

Inoue smiled at rukia. She looked down and sighed. "_Kuchiki, I know you're trying to be nice and I really appreciate it." _She looked at Rukia's eyes. She saw sincerity of concern for her so Inoue touched Rukia's hand and leaned closer to her and continued. _**"So much, that it makes me happy knowing that you care about what I think of this. But please trust me, Ichigo and I, well, we trust each other. He hasn't done anything to hurt me and I won't even think about hurting him. Just enjoy tomorrow and tell me on monday where you went. Ichigo doesn't want to tell me also. He said I will just blab it to you."**_ Inoue laughed at the thought. _**"Well he's right! Even if I promised him I won't, I will tell you eventually." **_She smiled back at Rukia and let go of Rukia's hand.

_**"Inoue you're so kind. Ichigo is lucky to be your boyfriend. I can also see that you really love him. He will be an idiot if he'll hurt you!"**_Rukia smacked her fist on her hand then looked at Ichigo who was chatting with his best buddy Chad.

* * *

><p>Rukia was getting anxious. Excitement can be seen on her face. She was in the living room waiting for Ichigo to arrive. Her brother was with her using his laptop.<br>_**  
><strong>__**"Rukia stop fidgeting. A girl should act like a proper lady and be patient." **_Byakuya told his sister without taking his eyes away from what he's doing.

Rukia sat properly and even put her hands on her lap. _**"I'm sorry. Can't stop it. I'm really excited!"**_

Byakuya sighed. He stopped his face from an approaching scowl by touching the sides of his head and massaged them. _**"I know that you like to go out with this guy and I'm happy that you're hanging out with some friends, but does it really have to be a guy? You barely know him."**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"I know! But I think he's really nice. I told you he saved me before without even thinking of the consequences. Give him a chance I'm sure you'll like Ichigo."<strong>_Rukia looked at her brother with pleading eyes.

Byakuya stopped his fingers from typing and then he slowly turned his eyes from the laptop to Rukia. Rukia saw it and swallowed. Obviously she said something that was unnecessary and made her brother irritated.

_**"I don't think I need to like your friend. I'm very grateful of him for saving you but that's it and nothing more. If he won't make it on time and will be late even by just a minute then I suggest you call him and cancel going out with him."**_Byakuya was looking at his sister straight. He wasn't blinking or moving any muscles. He even had a serious face while talking to her.

Rukia sighed. _**"Brother!"**_she couldn't do anything about her brother's behavior. She hopes that Ichigo will come as early as possible because she knows that when Byakuya says something he wants he will surely get it.

Ding dong!**  
><strong>  
>Rukia almost jumped from the couch. She was delighted that Ichigo wasn't late. Before going to the door she smirked at her brother which Byakuya found childish.<p>

_**"Ichigo! It's a good thing you came early. Let's go."**_ Rukia looked back at the living room which can be seen by the main door. She shouted to Byakuya, _**"I'll go now I'll see you at dinner!"**_And then she pulled Ichigo by the arm and not giving him a chance to say anything to her brother.

_**"Whew! That was close."**_Rukia was panting. She looked like she has a problem breathing so she needed time to relax first. She was too focused on herself that Ichigo noticed she's ignoring him completely.

_**"Ahem! Rukia. Rukia. RUKIA!"**___

___**"Huh! Wha- what?" **_Rukia was red on the face when Ichigo shouted.  
><em><strong><br>**__**"I said can you let go of my arms now? You- you're kind of gripping it too tight.**_" Ichigo inhaled deeply to ease his embarrassment. Rukia was still holding him even after they stopped running.

Rukia looked at her hands and saw that Ichigo was right. She immediately dropped Ichigo's arm and stared at the ground_**. "I'm sorry I didn't notice."**_she still was breathing hard. Ichigo noticed it and a concerned look for Rukia was visible on him.

_**"Are you okay? You look sick. Is something wrong?"**_Ichigo touched Rukia's shoulder. She was clutching her chest and was trying hard to even her breath. Ichigo swept his gaze around. He checked where they were. They were on a bus stop not too far from Rukia's house. He saw a bench behind them used by the waiting passengers. He thought that in Rukia's action there's definitely not right. Still holding Rukia's shoulder he shook her and asked her if she was fine. Rukia was still trying to breathe properly but unable to.

_**"Rukia let's sit."**_ Ichigo told her pointing at the bench. _**"It will be better for you."**_he helped Rukia on the seat and was still holding her shoulder.

Once seated, Rukia looked at Ichigo. It was the first time she looked at him in the eyes. He was worried and it was totally clear on his face. She felt shy and embarrassed at what happened so Rukia looked down because she couldn't look straight at him. She wanted to take off her ponytailed hair to hide her face from Ichigo.

_**"Ichigo, I'm sorry I forgot to bring my inhaler."**_

_**"An inhaler? Wait does that mean you have asthma?" **_Ichigo relaxed a little bit when he saw Rukia getting better.

_**"Well yeah. When I was a child I was always sick. I was unhealthy and most of the time I was at the hospital. But eventually going to the hospital got less and less, still I had asthma and my doctor said it can't be cured anymore. So now I live with an inhaler in my bag for the rest of my life. I forgot to take it with me today because it was still inside my school bag."**_Rukia looked at Ichigo. She didn't want to sound weird and different but that's the truth.

Rukia was sitting on the bench and Ichigo was in front of her. Ichigo touched Rukia's chin with his right hand and lifted up Rukia's face so she had no choice but to look at him. He was once again mesmerized by her lovely violet eyes. They shine like sparkles and looked like they had power over him. He stared at them for a moment and then his gaze went all over her face. She wasn't wearing heavy makeup but very light one only. It was just foundation with pink lip-gloss aside from that nothing else. Her eyes were her best feature. Ichigo thought they were very beautiful and made her look more gorgeous. Even though she's not using makeup her eyes were enough to bring out her beauty.

_**"Rukia, there's nothing wrong with that. I can feel that you don't feel good about yourself but trust me when I say that there's no problem. A lot of people get sick. I was worried but it doesn't mean I'm mad or anything. I just want to make sure that you'll be fine."**_ Ichigo let go of Rukia's chin then looked away from her and then he added_**, "By the way, you have very beautiful eyes."**__**  
><strong>_  
>A tint of red was on Rukia's cheeks. She looked down one more time and smiled<em><strong>. "Thank you. I'll remember that."<strong>___

__Ichigo looked back at her and smiled. He stood up and then offered his hand to Rukia_**. "Come, the bus is here. If we won't take this one it will take another hour for the next bus to arrive."**___

__Rukia looked at the approaching bus and when Ichigo held out his hand to her she smiled and took it. Ichigo helped her get up from the bench and get on the bus.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Seriously? An amusement park?"<strong>_Rukia stared at the main gate of a big amusement park. It was wide and had a big bright colored letters engraved on it. The words held the name of the park.

_**"Yup! Don't you like it? This will be fun."**_Ichigo was grinning. He was glad that he's back in the place that's so important for him.

_**"You do kno-"**_ Rukia averted her gaze from the entrance of the park to Ichigo. She stopped talking when she saw him smiling warmly and looked really happy about something. She sighed and looked back at the park. _**"Let's go buy tickets."**_

_**"What? You mean you're not going to complain anymore and just accept this?"**_ Ichigo voiced out his own suspicions. _**"Weren't you going to tell me something first?"**_Ichigo asked rukia again to be certain. Although he wanted to go to the park but since this visit is all for Rukia he will oblige to what she likes and go other places.

_**"How can I refuse you if it's so obvious how much you like this place."**_ Rukia pointed her hand at the gate. _**"Tell me something first, why did you pick this place? It might have something unusual but I'm pretty sure all parks are just the same. You've been in one, you've been in all of them. Isn't that right?"**_Rukia was still curious of why Ichigo will bring her here but she couldn't say no to him, not when he looked like a five year old because of the grin plastered on his lips.

Ichigo sighed. He was still looking at the park. A lot of memories came stirring back to him. Joyful ones. Memories that were involve with his family. The smile that was planted on his face slowly disappeared and a scowl replaced it. _**"I don't know if you've heard about my mother but I doubt you had. Our classmates avoid the topic as much as they can. Even Chad my best friend, Tatsuki, and Inoue tried not to say anything close to it and they have been successful for the past years. Well, my mother she died when I was ten. And I remember my whole family comes here once every two months to have fun. My mom was the one who insisted that."**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Ah... Ichigo, I don't... I dont... I dont really know what to say."<strong>_to say that Rukia was shocked was an understatement. She didn't expect to hear this kind of conversation from Ichigo. When she saw him looking like a kid feeling happy about something so simple she thought that maybe the place was special but she didn't think that it was related with Ichigo's mom.

_**"Why don't we buy tickets first then let's go inside? Don't worry I'm fine. You don't need to say anything. It's time to have fun!"**_Ichigo looked back at Rukia and smiled.

_**"Okay! Let's go."**_Rukia pulled him on his arm towards the ticket booth. The queue wasn't long since it was still early. Most people like going to the parks past lunch. When they were supposed to get for the tickets Ichigo offered to pay insisting that he was the man.

_**"Come on! Just let me. I don't mind."**___

___**"Well I do! I'm the one who asked you of this deal, the least I can do is pay for everything."**_Rukia pouted at Ichigo. He wouldn't let her pay even for her tickets. Something about man ego that she really hates in times like this.

_**"Look, I'm the man so it's only natural that I pay for. And also my dad won't let me hear the end of this if I'll let a girl pay for a date."**_ Ichigo stopped suddenly and felt nervous_**. "Not that we're on a date."**_he continued blushing because of embarrassment.

_**"Uhm... Yeah, of course."**_Rukia felt heat on her face.

_**"Uhm... Excuse me, if you're not going to buy please move away from the line. People are waiting."**_the man in the ticket booth said. Patience was running out of him. Ichigo and Rukia were at the booth for quite a while now and other people were already annoyed.

_**"Oh, sorry. Here, two please."**_Ichigo paid the man. Rukia rolled her eyes him.

They went inside the park and saw lots of people. They decided to spend time walking first. At the booth the man gave them a map of the park to for an easy navigation. It was big and a few dangerous rides can be seen from their spot. Some were quite huge and others were small, definitely for kids. The biggest ride and most noticeable was the Ferris wheel. It looked really high and very dangerous. It looked like it was surrounded with small lights but it was almost noon and the sun was high above the sky so the lights were turned off. Every compartment looked big enough for six people and the walls were made of glass so you can even see clearly the outside of the park when the person riding the Ferris wheel will be on top.

_**"So, what shall we do first? Wait, I know since it's not yet lunch time why don't we ride first everything that's scary then will have lunch and ride the others that will be left."**_Rukia was excited but didn't even hide that fact from Ichigo.

_**"Rukia, you have asthma right? Are you sure you'll be okay even if we get on those extreme rides? I don't wanna spoil your fun but it will be best to take care of yourself first. Don't you think so?" **_Ichigo remembered what happened earlier. He forgot that they were going to an amusement park and it might be a bad idea for someone like Rukia who is sick to go to these kinds of places.

_**"Ichigo. That's why I bought an inhaler on our way here since I forgot to bring the one at home. Don't worry. I'm not scared of these things so it can't harm me. It's not like we're going to run around."**_Rukia explained. She could sense that Ichigo will limit the fun because of her illness.

_**"Rukia, I'm just being careful. Something might happen to you and it will be my fault."**_

_**"Okay, I will be careful and I promise that I will tell you once I'm having a hard time breathing. Will that be enough?"**___

___**"Alright. Let's go."**_Ichigo agreed with Rukia. He didn't want Rukia to feel bad because of him so he will just be careful also and be alert if something's wrong.

The two went all around the park and rode everything they saw even the ones for kids. Rukia was caught up with a skeet shooting booth, where if you can hit the made up birds you'll win a prize surprisingly she was good at that kind of game because apparently her and Byakuya's hobby was shooting and archery.

One more thing that Ichigo didn't expect about Rukia was her fondness for bunnies. Everything she bought was all bunny characters. When he asked why she liked bunnies Rukia told him that she had a pet rabbit before in Tokyo but it died because she couldn't take care of it well. She didn't feed the rabbit for one week when she had to go to Kyoto for a vacation and forgot to ask someone to look after her pet, therefore it died. After that incident she felt guilty and thought that the only way she can ease the guilt was to love rabbits for the rest of her life. She was very young when she made that promise but now she only thought that bunnies were very cute and cuddly.

* * *

><p>It was six o'clock. They've been in the park for almost six hours. During lunch they spend three hours of bickering while eating and talked about different things. They were in a line for the Ferris wheel. This was their last stop before going home. Rukia was holding a big stuffed bunny.<p>

_**"Wow, I didn't know a midget like you can actually hold a big doll."**_Ichigo jested at Rukia something that Rukia didn't let him get away. She held the bunny by her right arm hugging it.

_**"Ouch! Why did you kick me!"**_Ichigo was kicked on shin by Rukia with her right foot and it seems like it did hurt because when they needed to move Ichigo limped away.

_**"Why do you keep on calling me midget? I'm not that small! Stupid!"**_Snapped Rukia at Ichigo.

_**"Oh really? Well I'm sorry unless you'll grow taller and your head will be able to reach my shoulder then I will accept that."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia as irritated as she'll ever be kicked Ichigo again. More powerful than the first one.<p>

_**"AHHHHHH! Stop kicking me! God I swear if you weren't a girl I would have punched you already!"**_Ichigo was rubbing the spot Rukia kicked.

_**"Listen here you one big of a strawberry! Im not a midget an unless you'll stop saying that and say you're sorry then I'll continue hitting you!" **_Rukia slammed her fist on Ichigo and kept on doing it all over his body. She ignored all the people watching her. She didn't see them because she only had her attention on making Ichigo say he's sorry.

_**"Ouch! Sto- ow! Cut it out! Stop! Damn midget ouch!"**_ichigo caught Rukia's arms with both of his hands and pulled her closer to him to stop her from hitting him again. The bunny that Rukia was holding fell on the ground. Ichigo ignored the toy and looked at Rukia. He was practically hugging her. He had put her arms around her back which made his arms encircled around Rukia. He stared at Rukia and saw that she was blushing a little bit but he ignored that also. He was just staring at her face looking at her violet eyes that he admires a lot.

_**"Ahem! Excuse me, I hate to break up this sweet moment but you're up."**_a sarcastic voice behind Ichigo told him. The voice informed Ichigo and Rukia of their current situation. Ichigo let go of Rukia's arm and apologized to her. Rukia on the other hand just nodded and didn't even utter a sound. She picked up the bunny from the ground and then went inside the compartment of the Ferris wheel that has been held open for her and Ichigo.

Rukia sat near the door and put the bunny beside her while Ichigo sat in front of Rukia. Once they were settled the door closed and they moved to allow the next passenger in another compartment.

Rukia was gazing outside uncomfortably. She kept on thinking of a best topic for a continuous conversation when Ichigo spoke up.

_**"Uhm... Are you tired?"**_Ichigo asked Rukia but he was looking outside.

_"Ex... Exc... Excuse me, what did you say?"_Rukia stuttered.

Ichigo finally looked at Rukia and repeated his question. _**"I said whether you're tired, aren't you?"**__**  
><strong>_  
><em><strong>"Ahhh.. Just a little bit. I enjoyed this place so much. The last time I went to an amusement park was when my parents were still alive." <strong>_Rukia told Ichigo. She was looking outside looking at some people. They were getting higher and higher but the Ferris wheel was pretty big and needed time to fill it with passengers.

_**"When they WERE alive? Then that means..."**_Ichigo trailed off.

_**"Yeah, they died when I was just a ten year old kid. They were on their way to Hawaii on a plane when it crashed. Rescuers tried to find them but no one could. Apparently their bodies drifted off the sea and were never found."**_ Rukia was still looking outside. She didn't want to see the pity look that Ichigo was giving but she wanted to relate her story to him. The only way to continue was try to ignore that Ichigo was with her and that she was just telling a very sad story to someone_**. "I was only young when I we were together but I can still remember all the things we did. Every night my father comes home looking very tired but he never pushed me away when I bugged him to play with me. It was my mother who'll divert my attention to other things so dad can take a rest. My mother stays at home and was a good housewife like how a woman should be. Sundays were the best days. We call it a family time. Even though my father is busy with our family business he never works on that day. My brother, Byakuya will come home from his dormitory to spend time with us. We will play games, go to the mall, park, or have dinner at a fine restaurant. They were simple but very memorable for me."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Rukia looked down and stared at her feet. She could still feel the happiness she felt when her family was together. Simple things really were the best in life. She thought that if she were given a chance to go back in time she will choose those days with her family. Even though Ichigo wasn't asking her about her parents she felt she needed to tell him because this will be a chance to let out everything she hid from herself. The reason why she excluded herself from the world and became a loner. The reason why she didn't trust people and preferred to be alone.<p>

_**"It was their wedding anniversary. My father thought it will be best to go on a vacation in Hawaii. He wanted me and Byakuya to be with them but Byakuya said it was the right time for them be alone and like go on a honeymoon." **_Rukia touched her necklace absentmindedly. _**"I didn't know what happened but when I came back from school there were lawyers, my father's lawyers. They were talking with my brother. When Byakuya saw me the lawyers left us. When I asked Byakuya what was wrong he hugged me. That was the last time he hugged me. He didn't explain everything to me. He only told me that our parents won't be back anymore. I asked him why but he didn't answer me instead he just kept quiet. His shoulder were shaking and I could feel he was having a hard time breathing." **_Rukia was clutching the necklace to tight that it was leaving a mark on her palm.

_**"A few days past and I was still innocent with what happened. One day I heard my brother and uncle Aizen talking. I heard my brother shouting at the top of his lungs. He was so mad that he looked like he could kill anyone who will cross his path. I heard him accusing our uncle of sabotaging the plane and bombed it. He said he had evidence and he will sue uncle. He shouted that it was my uncle's fault that our parents died." **_Rukia sighed. She couldn't forget that moment. Even though her brother thought that she didn't understand what happened between her uncle and Byakuya she knew from that time that her parents died and she will never see them again forever.

Finally after telling Ichigo of the worst part she had the courage to look at him in the eyes and show how strong she had tried to be. In her eyes Ichigo saw all the pain and heartaches she took for the past years. How the memories of the past became miserable and how she hated all of them. He didn't know how a ten year old kid survived those very unpleasant memories. Still he understood what she had been through. He too had some locked up past that he held in his heart for a very long time and up until now he couldn't release them. He wasn't ready to free his self from the burden that he has carried for seven years.

_**"After that day my brother did his best to take care of me. He became a mother and a father, filling the space in my heart with his love. Sometimes I wish that I can do something for him. When I first heard that our parents were dead I had cried for a long time and It was a problem for my brother. Eventually I saw him not giving up and still taking care of me." **_Rukia once again smiled sadly at the distant memory. _**"I felt sorry that I acted like I was the only one sad of what happened so I hugged my brother and promised him that together we will be strong and I won't be a problem anymore. But because I learned that it was my uncle who killed my parents I became suspicious of every people. It was the main reason why I don't trust anyone easily. I was shocked to find that even a family can stab you behind your back." **_Rukia snapped at her last sentence. She was very mad with her uncle. They trusted him and yet her uncle failed them.

_**"I'm sorry. I got carried away."**_Rukia remembered that Ichigo was listening intently with her. She looked at him and bowed and head.

_**"Don't say that. I'm glad that you trust me, enough to tell me about your secrets. I'm sure it was hard getting them all out."**_ Ichigo smiled a genuinely smile at Rukia. _**"I think you're really over with the fact that your parents are dead. I mean, I can see**__**it in you that you got over their deaths."**_Ichigo sighed a heavy one and now it's his turn to gaze out the glass wall.

_**"Ichigo is something wrong? Did I say something bad?"**_Rukia arched her eyebrows a Ichigo.

Ichigo was still staring outside the ferris wheel. It was already moving continuously and they were nearing the ground. He didn't talk yet and waited until the ride went up again. There were thoughts in his head. Thoughts that he wanted to share with Rukia. _'Why can't I just tell Rukia what's bugging me? She didn't hesitate to tell me hers. She's really a kind person and was really honest with everything. She told me when she had doubts about my intention towards her. She told me everything that has haunted her since she was a kid, so why can't I just come out clean and tell her?' _Ichigo was ranting with his self whether to be as open as Rukia did. He never talked with anyone as serious as this before and he surely never intended to. But one look at Rukia he felt that he could tell her everything that he wants.

_**"I told you, didn't I? This place was very special to me. My mom, dad, and my twin sisters, we always go here. This place has held lots of memories of my mom. They were also the best ones. But as i have said before she's dead. My mom died when I was nine years old." **_the sun was setting. They could see it beside them and the light hit their faces. Ichigo was staring at Rukia and couldn't move his eyes away from her. They shone like beautiful diamonds that sparkled when the light from the sun hit them. Rukia's eyes gave him all the encouragement he needed to continue talking.

_**"But she wasn't murdered. She died trying to save me."**_he could still remember it. The time his mother died. He was hugging his mother trying to wake her up but she wouldn't. He kept on calling her again and again until he lost conscious. When he woke up he was at a hospital bed. His father and sisters were beside him. Yuzu was crying all her heart out. She was beside Ichigo and when she saw him awaken she cried harder. Karin onthe other hand wasn't crying, in fact she wasn't moving at all. She was staring in space pretending that she's strong but deep inside she was broken. Ichigo could see it in Karin's eyes how hard it was for her. The twins were just five years old that time but they could sadness surrounding them, especially when their father told them that their mother's dead.

Their world revolved around their mother and to know that she won't be coming back was too difficult to accept. She won't be coming back and they won't see her anymore. Their mother's caring, loving and most beautiful smile they always see on their mother's face wont show up anymore. Happiness was replaced with grief and sadness. They didn't know until when the whole family will feel that way, lost and incomplete.

When Ichigo woke up that time his father didn't tell him about his mother but he didn't need to because Ichigo could see it in his father's eyes. That was the only time that he saw them very lonely without pretenses. He looked like he hadn't taken a shower yet and looked tired. There were even bags under his eyes.

"_**The river where we first met it was where she died. When I saw you being held by two men I got nervous. All thoughts about the past came back to me. I couldn't forget forget it I mean how could I? She died instead of me..."**_ichigo looked away from Rukia. He couldn't face her when he admitted he was the cause of his mother's death. He felt ashamed with himself. Nonetheless he continued speaking.

_**"I asked my mother if we could go by the river to spend some time she agreed and we went there. We played for a while and lost track of the time. It was almost dark and we decided to go home what we didn't know there were two men approaching us. They demanded to give them money and my mom complied with them. I thought they were going to leave then after giving them what they wanted but I was wrong. They tried to touch my mother."**_Ichigo was furious. He could see it, the face of the culprit trying to have fun with his mother. If only he could find them and kill them he would.

_**"One of the men noticed me kicking him. He punched me and kicked me on the ground. He took out a gun and then shot me with a gun. Fortunately it wasn't a heavy wound. When the man saw me still moving and trying to stand up he pointed his gun at me and fired another one. But..." **_Ichigo didn't know how to continue. This was the heaviest part of the story. He stared at the floor and touched his forehead using his palm. While he was rubbing his temples using his fingers he felt a hand touched his shoulder.

He looked up at the owner of the hand and saw a pair of violet eyes looking at him. Rukia smiled and nodded slowly at Ichigo. _**"Ichigo, it's okay. I'm sure that one day you'll have the courage to face the past. When my parents died I thought it won't be long and I will follow their fate but every time I looked at my brother it encourages me to live longer if it's for my brother. He became my willpower."**__**  
><strong>_  
>Ichigo was shocked. He stared at Rukia for a long time. Slowly, he lifted up his hand and put it on Rukia's, the one on his shoulder. He took Rukia's hand and enclosed it with both of his. He noticed that it was a little bit cold so absentmindedly he played with her hand rubbing it warmly. He kept on doing it forgetting whose hand he was touching. Rukia understood him. She didn't pushed him into telling her what happened to him before. She gave him enough courage to believe that she was right. It might hurt for now how his mother died but sooner or later he will be able to face the past and stop living in it and that will be because of his family or friends, or perhaps because of Rukia.<p>

The strange feeling Rukia had when Ichigo first held her hand was back. Her eyes were wide when Ichigo started becoming warm and caring to her. She liked the feeling of his hand against hers and she has forgotten where they were and what they were talking about. Just enjoy the presence of the other person.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"I'm glad that you liked it. It was very nice to finally be able to go back to that place."<strong>_Ichigo was kicking a stone as he walked. They were headed to Rukia's house. Rukia didn't want Ichigo to drop her off but he insisted. Telling him he will be worried for the rest of his way home and that it's dangerous for a girl go home alone. Now that she knew why he acted that way, she agreed.

_**"Yeah, I liked it so much."**_They were now in front of Rukia's gate and the two stopped walking facing each other.

_**"Uhm... Rukia, about what happened in the-"**_

_**"We were just comforting one another. I understand that. We did get carried away but it was just because of what we felt that time." **_Rukia was obviously referring to what happened in the Ferris wheel. Although she knew that it was the reason they held each other for a long time somehow she couldn't help but feel sad that she made an excuse for their actions. All she knew was she didn't want to make a big deal of something simple and basically nothing. thats what she forced into her mind. They were just holding each other's hand and there's nothing wrong with that. 'Friends hold hand and there definitely no problem with it.' she kept on thinking those words over and over on the way home_. 'How come I don't think feel bad about it? Every time he touched me I feel weird things. Weird, but very warm. My hand also looked like it fits his, like mine were made together with his hand. Why is it that I feel like I wanted to touch his hand again? I have to stop these thoughts I'm so confused now. There's only one way to know if my hunches are correct.'__  
><em>  
><em><strong>"Alright, I guess I should go."<strong>_Ichigo looked straight at Rukia. He didn't know what to do next. He waited for Rukia to say something first.

_**"Uhm... Yeah. I'll see in school. Bye, Ichigo."**_she held one more time her hand to shake hand with him. She waited for a little while but Ichigo looked like he was going to refuse. She was about to drop her hand when a strong and muscular one took it. She looked at Ichigo and saw that he was smiling. She smiled at him and then let go of his hand slowly.

Ichigo waved his hand at her. "_**Bye! I'll see you on Monday."**_he turned around and walked away. Headed back to his own home.

Rukia stared at her hand_. 'I do have a weird feeling when I touch him. It's comforting, secured and... and... No! I can't! I should not tolerate this anymore.' _one last time she looked at Ichigo's retreating form.

_**"Thank you Ichigo, being with me in my past and letting me in yours."**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you so much for reading. hope you liked it! ^_^**_


	7. Chapter 7: Spoiled Plans

Lost in love 7

Chapter 7: Spoiled plan

Rukia was in her room lying on her bed. Her brother was in the office. They've changed the guest room into an office because Byakuya needed some place to work on. His room wasn't big enough to have one inside. Byakuya did his work at home when he needed. When she came home yesterday from the park, Byakuya looked like he was mad. Apparently he saw Rukia's inhaler in her bag when he checked it to be sure that she didn't forget it. He was worried and tried a lot of times of calling her. Unfortunately, she didn't notice her phone ringing because she was occupied with everything else. After thirty minutes, finally, Byakuya's anger subsided and told her to sleep and rest.

It was past ten already but for some reasons Rukia couldn't sleep. She kept on tossing and turning around the bed and was sighing a lot. It was very quiet and little or small sounds could be heard inside her room. Even the ticking of the clock could be heard. She's very confused, confused with everything that happens when she's with Ichigo. Last Saturday night, when she bid him goodbye, she purposely held his hand one last time to figure something out. After touching him she knew that somehow what she thought was true.

She loves it when she's near Ichigo.

The warm, comfortable, and very loving feeling that was always there whenever she touches him, proved the fact that she really likes holding Ichigo. Although she knew that, she's still confused why she would want him to hold her. Why did she miss the feeling of his skin on hers?

_'What's happening to me? Ichigo is just a friend. I'm not supposed to feel this way. Well, it's not like I already like him, I mean I don't feel that way towards him. But I can't stop myself from liking his presence so much. What am I gonna do? Maybe I only like being near him because I feel secured and safe. Something that I haven't felt for so long. They were feelings that has stopped coming in to me since my parents died. That's it right? It couldn't be anything else.'_ Rukia sighed. She did her best to sound convincing to herself but she knew that she failed.

_'I never knew that I would be comfortable with someone again. I'm really glad that I confided on Ichigo and that we shared the same fate, although those were very unfortunate fates.'_

_'I know there is one more explanation as to why I'm like this but I shouldn't even consider it as one of the reasons. If I could, I would even stop myself from thinking that it's possible. I should forbid myself from thinking... from thinking..._' Rukia sat up suddenly and with wide eyes she thought._ 'that...that...I... I li-like Ichigo._

_'No! It can't be! I mustn t!'_ She covered her ears as if she's shouting out loud and it hurt to even listen to her own thoughts.

_'Right. I won't panic, yet, I don't have to.'_ she curled up into a ball and lied on her left side, grasping the quilt with her right hand.

'_I have to know what's happening to me. I can't keep on seeing Ichigo while I'm having doubts with my feelings. I need to be sure. If I won't, I will be in big trouble.'_  
>-<p>

* * *

><p>Ichigo was walking down the hallway. He had his bag on his hand and a scowl was visible on his face. Students were looking at him and were trying to get out of his way. He looked really angry and you can even say that if someone will bump onto him that person will die, literally. He was even staring or more like glaring at every student that blocked his way and it was a good thing that they got the message and scrambled away from him.<p>

When he was near the classroom he took a peek first before going inside. The first person he saw was Inoue. She was in a deep conversation with Tatsuki and she didn't notice his head sticking out at the door. He wasn't in the mood to be kind and pretend that he's okay so he continued walking and went straight to the stairs that lead to the rooftop. When he reached it he opened the door and was shocked to find at the edge of the rooftop a certain raven haired girl that he saw last Saturday staring at the view of the field.

**_"Rukia? What are you doing here?"_**

Rukia was clearly startled. She screamed a little and sighed when she saw Ichigo. She looked at the owner of the voice and smiled.

**_"Good morning! Is that a new way to greet someone?"_** she arched her eyebrow and looked straight at him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and answered back. **_"Fine then, Good morning! Happy?"_**

**_"Yes, and to answer your first question I was just spending some time alone. It's still early so I thought of going here. It's my favorite place in the whole school."_** Rukia turned back her gaze on to the field and leaned on the crisscrossed wired fence that was surrounding the rooftop.

**_"Why? It's too quiet in here. And there's nothing much to do."_ **Ichigo walked beside Rukia. He too leaned on the fence and looked at what Rukia was looking. From the side of the rooftop where they were they could see the back of the school and the wide field where some students were walking around. Some were playing and chasing each other.

**_"I love it here. Look."_ **she looked at the sky and held up her right hand like she's reaching for the clouds.**_ "It's too high up here that when you look at the clouds it feels like you can touch them."_** She closed her eyes and inhaled some air.

Rukia looked back at the field and smiled.**_ "And if you'll look down, you can see lots of people walking. They're fascinating. They're like ants but unorganized. I like looking at them it makes me feel like I'm stronger than all of them and if I'll flick my finger,"_** Rukia flicked her fingers in the air pointing them at the students in the field. **_"Like ants, they will scatter all around the field._**" she kept on smiling and didn't see Ichigo staring at her and was listening intently with every word she said.

**_"Has anyone ever told you that you're weird?"_** Ichigo told her kiddingly. While Rukia was talking he was just looking at her. He heard everything and they all made him believe it was true. While looking at Rukia, he did feel what she was talking about. The sky really did look closer that you can actually feel the cold mist that came from it. The students looked like ants but more of an independent kind of ants because they weren't forming a line and following the other one in front of them. They have their own way of building their anthills.

**_"Ouch! Why did you kick me?"_** Ichigo was holding his right leg because Rukia had just kicked him.

_**"That's for calling me weird! Don't you have anything to do aside from bothering me here? Isn't Inoue here already? Why don't you go to her like a good boyfriend you're supposed to be?"** _Rukia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at Ichigo.

**_"Che! I don't want to. It's not like we're not gonna see each other later. Besides, I had a bad morning because of my family. They kept on pestering me about our dat- I mean, about me going away on a Saturday for a girl. And that's why I was such in a bad mood and I might involve anyone who talks to me. I don't want to do that to Inoue."_**

**_"So now you're here because you don't care if you're making my life miserable, is that it? Why are you even here?"_** Rukia glared at Ichigo and was controlling her irritation.

_**"I didn't know that you were here! I was just looking for a perfect place to hide from everybody. But you know what? I think what you said, making your life miserable, wasn't such a bad idea."**_ Ichigo turned to Rukia and mocked her, even emphasizing his last words.

**_"Ouch! STOP KICKING ME MIDGET! AAHHH! WHY DID YOU HIT ME WITH YOUR FIST?"_**

Rukia kicked Ichigo again and when he called him midget she got irritated and hit him with her balled fist. **_"Because mister don't-look-and-talk-to-me-or-you're-dead you keep on annoying me! And you don't have plans on stopping!"_ **she hit him again and again on his shoulder. Ichigo was feeling a bruise was coming on the spot where Rukia kept on hitting. He couldn't stop her because aside from being strong he could sense that Rukia was enjoying it.

_**"Ouch! Sto-stop! Cut it out! I mean it Rukia!"**_ Rukia was still hitting Ichigo and he felt that it was getting worse and worse. He turned to Rukia and held both of her arms in order to stop her. Rukia was forced to stop but she glared her eyes at Ichigo, like sending him daggers all over his body.

**_"My, I didn't know you two were so close."_**

Renji came through the door of the rooftop but the two didn't see him come. They were preoccupied too much with one another that they didn't hear anything at all. He was standing by the doorway staring at Ichigo and Rukia looking irritated and annoyed. He crossed his arms and looked at Rukia.

_**"Wow, you don't feel awkward holding each other, do you? Sorry, was I interrupting something?"** _He arched his eyebrow at Rukia waiting for an answer.

Quickly, Rukia shook off Ichigo and stood straight. She looked at Renji and smiled at him.**_ "Uhm... Good morning Renji! No, we were uhm... We were just goofing around. We didn't know you came."_**

**_"Yeah, I can see that."_ **Renji glared at Ichigo and directed his next words to him.**_ "And who're you? I don't think I've seen you before. I don't think you're a friend of Rukia because she DOESN'T talk about you."_ **He was staring at Ichigo like he's a pest and even put an emphasis on the word doesn't.

Ichigo was staring at Renji. The moment he heard that Rukia hangs out with him, he was disgusted. He kept telling her to get away from him because he knew who Renji was. For Ichigo, Renji was nothing more than a delinquent kid who doesn't care about anything but his gang. He heard about the incident were Renji was hospitalized for two days because of some misunderstanding from their group. Ichigo even heard about a girl who helped Renji to the hospital and took care of him. He has been thinking how hard it must be for the girl to waste her time. Ichigo was sure that once Renji will be out of the hospital he will continue being a miserable kid.

_**"It's none of your business to know who I am."**_ Ichigo was aware that From the moment Renji came he was looking at Ichigo like an archenemy. **_"I couldn't care less of what you think of us."_** Ichigo told Renji with a sarcastic voice and a scowl. He then turned to Rukia.**_ "I think we should go. It's almost time for the first period."_**

Rukia was sweating. She hasn't had a clue as to what was happening. Renji and Ichigo looked at each other with obvious hatred and she couldn't figure out why. She knew that Ichigo doesn't like Renji but that wasn't enough for the said boy to hate the red haired one. Renji, on the other hand, didn't know Ichigo and she doubted that he even know his name.

**_"Why rukia? Are you going to leave me behind and act like you didn't see me?"_ **Renji looked straight at Rukia. He was getting irritated with the two and he wanted to push Ichigo away from the girl.

Rukia became nervous when Renji talked to her for the first time with an angry voice._ 'Did I do something? Why does he act like I did something wrong?'_ To set things right she looked at Ichigo and smiled at him. Even though she was very confused with the two she couldn't help but smile at Ichigo.**_ "You go ahead. I'll just talk to Renji. We still had five minutes to spare."_**

Ichigo didn't want to leave Rukia alone with Renji but he has no right to not let her. After all Renji was her first friend at Karakura. He saw Rukia smile at him a genuine one and mimicked her action. He nodded at her and smiled. "Alright, don't be late."

"**_Yeesh! She's not you're property so stop telling her what to do."_ **Renji leaned on the wall beside the door. He was waiting for Ichigo to disappear and his patience was running out. He didn't like the fact that Rukia was smiling at Ichigo. And it wasn't just an ordinary smile, there was something hidden behind those lips and Renji could sense that he won't like it once he knew what it was.

**_"I AM concern of her studies unlike some people who don t even care."_** Ichigo snapped at Renji. He was starting to feel mad.

Renji heard the remark but decided to ignore it._ 'Che! If this guy won't get lost in one minute I will beat the pulp out of him. How could he imply that I don t care about Rukia? Huh! It's a good thing that Rukia's here. She's the only reason that's stopping me from hitting this carrot top!'_ he smirked at Ichigo while the other guy was walking towards the door. Renji thought that Ichigo was about to say or do something again when he stopped walking beside him but Ichigo only looked at him and then scowl that Renji returned with a deadly glare. Then Ichigo continued walking down the stairs and then out of sight from the two left on the rooftop.

**_"Rukia! Who's he? That carrot top son of a bitc-"_**

**_"Please! don't say that! Ichi-Ichigo's my friend. I'm sorry, but you don't have the right to talk about him. Espe-especially on my face."_** Rukia looked down. She didn't want to hurt Renji with her words but Renji had been rude with Ichigo and he was the one who started insulting the strawberry.

Renji was surprised. He didn't expect Rukia will react like that just because of some guy that she just met. He knew that whoever that Ichigo was Renji was Rukia's first friend and he definitely haven't heard her saying anything about him. _'Are they close already? She keeps on calling him Ichigo. No! Maybe their friends but I'm more special than that guy! I've been with Rukia since she came here but she never talked about him so I'm sure that Ichigo guy is not that important. Maybe she stopped me because they were friends and she doesn't like it when people say bad things about her friends. Right! She's just defending a friend. Something that I know she will also do for me.'_ Renji inwardly smiled contented with his own thoughts.

**_"Ok, I'm sorry. Let's not fight. I don't want us to do that. So, who's he? You've never mentioned him before."_** Renji went closer to Rukia. He leaned on the fence beside her.

**_"He's no one. Ichigo's my friend. He saved me when I was in trouble and needed some help. Fortunately he was there and he... Saved me."_ **Rukia was looking down at her feet. They were making circles on the floor.

Renji grinned. He was glad that for Rukia, Ichigo was no one and was not important. _'I think I should do this now, before anybody else takes interests on her.'_

Ever since Rukia saved Renji from that accident, he became closer to Rukia. He knew that when he opened his eyes, when he was at the hospital and the first one he saw was Rukia he felt something towards her. He invited her for lunch everyday just to see her. He misses her when she's not around. He even calls Rukia at night to hear her voice.

Renji knew, he knew that he's feeling something for Rukia. He likes her a lot. She was the first one to show concern to him. She was the first one that talked to him with courage. Not only that, Rukia was never influenced by anyone. Renji knew that from the start when the students saw them together they talked to Rukia to keep her away from him. He was glad when she didn't listen to them and didn't care about the rumors. Yes, Renji likes her and now he thought that it will be the best time to ask her out.

**_"Renji it's almost time for our class. I need to go."_ **Rukia picked up her bag from the floor and took a step away already when Renji grabbed her arm and pulled her that forced her to look at him.

**_"Rukia wait. Would you like to hang out with me this Saturday?"_ **Renji stared directly in to Rukia's eyes. He was determined to hold her gaze until she answered him in his favor.

_**"Renji..."** _

Rukia was speechless. Although Renji didn't say the word "date" she knew what he meant by asking her out. And it's not helping that he's looking straight in her eyes waiting for a good reply. She wanted to tell him no because she didn't feel like going out alone with him and was afraid of Renji hoping there will be future for them. Rukia didn't want to hurt him also. She didn't want to feel uncomfortable towards him and ruined their friendship. She thought of a way to break it to him gently and not hurt him.

_**"Renji, I don't really know. I'm really surprised and of course flattered that you want to go out with me but..."**_

_**"But what Rukia? Why don't you give it a try? I promise you that I won t make you feel awkward or anything like that. Please give me one chance and let me prove myself to you."**_ Renji was still holding Rukia. He wouldn't let her go unless she'll say yes.

_**"Renji-"**_

_**"Are you afraid of what people might say when they see us together?"**_ Renji could feel that Rukia was about to say no. But he wouldn't take no for an answer so he changed his approached and decided that she needs to be forced.

_**"No! That's not it. I'm actually ahhh... I-I have-I have plans! Yeah! I have plans this Saturday and I can't cancel it because I promised my friend that we will go out this Saturday."**_ Rukia averted her gaze from Renji. She was lying and she knew that Renji could sense it. She had no choice but to lie because she couldn't accept him.

Renji was sad. No, saying that he was sad was putting it lightly. He didn't know why Rukia was lying. He couldn't accept it and he will do his best to prove to Rukia how much he likes her and he's willing to wait for her until she will say yes. But for now, he will give her time to think about it.

_**"Alright. I guess it's my fault for not asking you earlier. Let's just go out next time."** _He smiled at Rukia and took his hand off of her.

**_"Thanks. I knew you'd understand. I should go. I'm gonna be late." _**Rukia went to the door and stopped before going through it. She looked back at Renji who was staring at her. With a sincere look in her eyes she told him,

**_"Renji, I'm really sorry."_**

Renji smiled. He felt that Rukia was truly sorry and he couldn't get mad at someone who didn't want to hurt him. Still, he won't give up that easily.

_**"I know. But, I'll wait. It's not like you have plans every Saturday."**_

For once Rukia had nothing to say. She understood what Renji meant and she couldn't do anything about it. She nodded at him and left. She went straight to her classroom thinking of the boy left alone on the rooftop.

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Okay! We will be having our school fair two weeks from now. I want you all to plan for it and think of a booth that we can have. I will give you time for a meeting tomorrow so think about it for the whole night. Did you get that?"<em>**

**_"Yes Sensei!"_**

**_"Okay you can all go home now."_**

The students one by one left the room some were still packing their stuff and putting them in their bags. Others were chatting with their friends. Two girls were talking by the window. A short girl with raven hair and violet eyes and the other one was tall and with a bubbly attitude.

**_"Rukia, how was your weekend? Did you have fun last Saturday?"_** Inoue was smiling too much that Rukia felt Inoue's jaw were hurting already.

**_"Yes! We went to the amusement park and I really had fun. It's too bad that you couldn't come with us."_**

Inoue pouted. She crossed her arms and looked outside when suddenly an idea popped in to her head. **_"I know! We can go together this Saturday! The three of us! Right?"_**

****_**"What?"**_

Rukia looked at Inoue. She didn't know why somehow she didn't like the idea of going with Inoue. She felt that she wanted to interject her but she couldn't. She was about to open her mouth when Ichigo went over them.

**_"Hey! What's up? What are you talking about?"_**

**_"Oh! Good you're here! I told Rukia that maybe we, I mean you and me, go some place this Saturday! I mean I want to go with you guys the next time you tour her around Karakura! It will be fun right? It's like we're going on a date and at the same time making Rukia happy!"_** Inoue was so enthusiastic that she kept on jumping while hugging Ichigo's arms. She liked it that she could join them on Saturday.

_**"Uhm... I don't know Inoue. What about we ask Rukia first? She might not approve it because it can be awkward for her to be the only one who's going without a date."** _Ichigo looked at Rukia.

It felt weird to go with Inoue. Ichigo knew that it was a good idea and Inoue would be happy to be with them but he on the other hand didn't like it._ 'Is it wrong to not let Inoue come with us? It's not that I don't want to it's just that I'm... I'm...'_

There are no words for it. Ichigo had no explanation why he didn't want Inoue to go with them. What he said that Rukia might feel uncomfortable with him and Inoue was just an excuse for him. He was the one who didn't like Inoue tagging along with them. But what could he say? Inoue is his girlfriend and it's not right to stop her from going with them. Ichigo knew that if he won't let her go she'll be sad and perhaps get jealous of Rukia. He didn't want to hurt Inoue. It's either she'll come or Ichigo will be the one to stay behind. There was nothing else to do but to wait for Rukia's answer.

Ichigo looked at Rukia and he saw her staring back at him. From what he could see, her eyes were pleading. Telling him something he couldn't understand because Rukia was doing her best to block all her emotions, something that she often did. She was staring at Ichigo like she was also waiting for him to say anything. Ichigo sensed that Rukia was going to feel uncomfortable with both Inoue and him together so he turned to the auburn haired girl beside him and said,

**_"Inoue, how about I stay? That way you can hang out with Rukia and she won't be uncomfortable. Let's just have our date on Sunday. Is that okay?"_**

**_"But Ichigo... It's not the same! You should come with us because you're the one who promised Kuchiki that you'll accompany her and now you're the one who's going to back out? Are you serious?"_ **Inoue was hugging Ichigo's arm and then looked at Rukia who was in front of them. **_"Rukia please...? I really want to hang out with the both of you. And I also want to know how Ichigo does his job being a tour guide. Please... Please...?"_**

Rukia looked outside the window she couldn't decide. She didn't have a clue why she was feeling that way all of a sudden. She pretended that it was because when that happens, like what Ichigo said, she would be the only one without a date. She didn't want to look at the two lovers and be lonely._ 'Come on! Why can't I just say yes? I was even the one who asked Inoue to come. There's nothing wrong with her being with them. She's just being kind and wants me to have fun but I'm refusing her. And besides, I think Ichigo will love it if I'll accept Inoue's idea. I should think about how he'll feel. he's been good to me and if I can, I should repay his kindness.'_

while looking out the window Rukia saw something or rather someone._ 'Wait! Is that Renji down there? It looks like him. He's the only one with that ridiculous hair style here in school. Hhhhmmmm... Yes! That's right I think I should do that!'_ Rukia was grinning. She has forgotten that Inoue and Ichigo were still beside her waiting and both of them were calling her name but she had ignore them. When she looked back at them the two lovers were standing at her wondering what on earth happened to her.

**_"Alright! I think you should come with us Inoue. It would be great to have you. I know that Ichigo will like that but, will It be also okay if I'll bring someone with me? I mean someone that you might not like?"_** Rukia looked at Ichigo when she said the last two words. She knew that once Ichigo will know who she was planning to bring with her he would go ballistic. But she decided already and it will be a good opportunity to give what two people wanted from her. A date from Renji, and Inoue tagging along with them.

Ichigo's eyes turned wide. He didn't expect that Rukia accepted Inoue's offer. He was hoping and wishing she will decline but no, she said yes and apparently she was planning on taking someone with her. **_"Who's he? Aren't you gonna tell us first?"_**

**_"Uhm... No. You have to tell me first that you'll agree with me."_ **Rukia looked away. She couldn't tell Ichigo yet who she was planning on taking with her. She needed to confirm first that they will both agree. Especially since Ichigo didn't like Renji. Considering the fact that just this morning the two almost punch each other s nose. It might be a bad idea but it's the only way that she could satisfy Renji and Inoue at the same time._ 'It will be like hitting two birds with one stone. Yeah, it's the only way for me.'_

_'Is she serious? Don't tell me she's planning on taking that bastard with us? How could she do that? I should stop her. That guy will just ruin our day.'_ Ichigo shook off Inoue's arms. He took one step closer to Rukia and leaned over her form.

_**"Who's he?"**_

_**"Uhm-"**_

_**"I think it is a wonderful suggestion!"** _Inoue cut off Rukia before she could even answer Ichigo. She was just staring at them feeling something wasn't right. When Ichigo heard that Rukia will have a date he was alert and looked like he didn't want it. She touched Ichigo's shoulder and turned him around. When he looked at her she stared in to his eyes and said,

_**"Our problem is solved it's the best way for all of us. And aside from that, it's Kuchiki's choice to have a date. We shouldn't interfere. Am I right, Ichigo?"**_

_**"Well then, I guess that's settled."**_ Inoue continued speaking when her boyfriend didn't respond to what she asked. Then she looked at Rukia smiling widely,back with her usually bubbly self.

_**"So who's the lucky guy?"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Are sure?"<strong>_ Renji asked Rukia for the tenth time. He couldn't believe it that Rukia told him they will go on a date on Saturday. Even though she said that it will be like a double date he ignored that piece of information. For him it was a chance to show Rukia how it will be like if they will be a couple, a chance to show her how much he cares for her.

**_"Yes Renji. I told you. I'll tell you next time where we'll meet."_** Rukia was doubting her decision. Asking Renji for a date is like giving him hope. But she couldn't take it back, not anymore. Inoue was glad that it happened and even Ichigo didn't complain. She was kind of disappointed when he didn't even say one word when she told him that it was Renji she was planning on taking. He only nodded and then left._ 'It was like he didn't even care. How come? This morning he was warning me and kept on telling me to avoid Renji but now he accepted that I will go out with this pineapple. I don't understand.'_

**_"Anyway, I really need to go now. I'll call you if I already know where we'll go. I have to go. My brother's waiting for me."_**

Rukia bowed and turned around but once again was stopped by none other than Renji. He was holding her hand and was staring at her with serious eyes. He wasn't averting his gaze anywhere it was fix on rukia's violet eyes and hypnotizing her with its power. Suddenly, he pulled Rukia onto him and wrapped his arms around her body.

_**"Thank you Rukia, for giving me a chance."**_

Slowly, he let Rukia go and ran past her. He didn't stop and even look back. He continued running until, he was out of sight.

Rukia was shocked. A moment ago she was having second thoughts but now she regrets it. The moment Renji hugged her she wanted to push him away but couldn't, because she knew it could offend the guy._ 'Now what am I going to do? I shouldn't have asked Renji to come with me. I can't do this. I can't let Renji think that I like him. What have I done? It's too late. If I will cancel this it will be like adding insults to injury._

_'The weekend that I was very anxious of now ruined. It's all my fault. I can't turn back time and redo everything. I can't escape it. I have to endure the whole day. I have to get through it somehow.'_

Rukia went back home with a heavy heart. Wishing that somehow, Saturday wouldn't come.

* * *

><p>AN: thank you for reading! I deleted my A/N here because obviously someone was offended. I didn't mean that. Thank you again! ^_^ 


	8. Chapter 8: Next Stop:True Feelings

Lost in love chapter 8

Chapter 8: Next stop; true feelings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach! ;P

_**"Rukia!"**_

_**"Renji!"**_ Rukia saw the red haired boy wearing jeans and fitted shirt that has almost shaped the body of the wearer, approaching her. She looked at Renji and the memory of the hug that he gave her last Monday became fresh once more. She couldn't forget it. How could she when Renji smiled at her like he owns her. What she feared came true. Now, she's very uncomfortable around him and sometimes she feels like she wanted to do something to make it stop.

**_"Hey! I'm not late, am I?"_** Renji smiled at Rukia. He felt wonderful when he saw her standing waiting for him. **_"I'm sorry if I am."_**

**_"Hey, no worries. You're just in time. Besides, Ichigo and Inoue aren't here yet. Uhm... Why don't you take a sit first?"_** Rukia pointed at the chair in front of her. They were in a coffee shop because that was the place that Ichigo said they will meet. She was the first one to arrive because she didn't want Ichigo and Inoue waiting for her and be annoyed. But when she saw Renji running towards her she thought that maybe it was a better idea to be late so she wouldn't have to be alone with Renji even for a few minutes.

Whenever she saw Renji, she felt sad and happy at the same time. She felt sad because she didn't know how to tell Renji that she will never feel the same way as him. But, Renji looked happier since he expressed his feelings for her. How could she break his heart? Rukia couldn't do it and she didn't want to hurt a good friend. For Rukia, Renji didn't do anything wrong but to like her and it wasn't his fault to feel that way. Liking someone is not something you planned but a sudden emotion that you'll have, that the heart cannot stop.

She also felt happy because she thought that she was fortunate enough that someone will have feelings for her. Although she had experience before, she knew herself. She's not the kind of girl that a guy will fall in love to. She's small, looks like a boy and has been a loner ever since she could remember. Those were her perceptions to herself. She had no confidence at all that someone truly loved or even just liked her. And it wasn't also helping that she doesn't trust other people aside from her brother.

**_"Hey, where are we going by the way? That carrot top didn't tell. Maybe he didn't really know where to take us! Huh! I thought so. He's just a show off!"_** Renji didn't hide from Rukia the fact that he disliked Ichigo.

"**_Why don't you give him a chance? He's really nice. And we should try to get along with them. It will be awkward if you'll keep on going at other's faces."_** Rukia looked away from Renji. She hated it when Renji starts acting this way.

**_"Fine. For you, I'll be on my best behavior. Just don't let that boy near me or I'll break his bones!"_**

**_"Renji why don't you like Ichigo? I've told you a couple of times how much he means to me. How important the two of you are. That I don't like it when the two of you argue. But all of it were pointless. You two still say the worst things that you both can come up with. Why? Has he ever done anything to you that I didn't know?"_ **Rukia stared at Renji's eyes inquiring him with answers.

**_"Rukia, it's not that I hate him. Well, yeah, I don't like him but it's because... It's just that... Hhhmmm... Never mind. Forget it. You won't understand."_** Renji leaned on his chair and sighed.

**_"Come on. Tell me. We're friends right?"_ **Rukia was curious as to why Renji didn't like Ichigo. If she could do anything to stop the two from arguing whenever they see each other, she would gladly do it.

_**"Well... Alright. I don't like him because I hate the way he looks at you."**_

Rukia's eyebrows raised. She didn't understand what Renji meant. _**"Renji, what do you mean by, the way he looks at me? Does he look at me like there's something** **wrong?"**_

**_"No, he looks at you like he owns you! He smiles whenever his eyes were on you, he stares deeply into your eyes and I can feel that he likes you! I hate it so much because I get jealous when I see him staring at you which always happen. He never passes a chance to look at you! Tsk! He doesn't even hide his feelings!"_** Renji crossed his arms and looked away from Rukia. He had just admitted to her that he was jealous of Ichigo over her. Renji felt embarrassed but not that much.

The week that passed, Ichigo and Renji has seen each other a couple of times. Renji was always observing Ichigo in fear of losing Rukia over to him. He watched Ichigo carefully and even though he didn't see Ichigo making a move to the girl, Renji felt that one day Ichigo will try to get Rukia's attention.

**_"Renji, maybe you're exaggerating it. Why would Ichigo do that? And I never saw him looking at me like I'm a treasure. We're friends and we always smile at each other."_** Rukia thought over what Renji had said. She never noticed Ichigo acting like that. She was the one who always smile when she sees Ichigo. She was excited to be with him and has been thinking of him too much lately.

Rukia knew she felt something special for him. But she didn't know what it was yet. She wanted to see Ichigo always, to be near him, likes talking to him and enjoys his company so much. 'I'm scared that this feeling might lead to something serious. I don't want that. I have to settle this today. Figure out what my feelings could be and if I'm right, I have to stop it.' Rukia inwardly sighed.

**_"Rukia, I'm a guy and I know how men look at a girl they like. He likes you and I can feel it."_**

**_"Renji, have you forgotten the fact that he has a girlfriend? He couldn't possibly like me. I can't believe it."_**

**_"Fine then but,"_ **Renji stood up and sat on the chair next to Rukia. He leaned over her and whispered in her ear. **_"What about you? I mean do you like him?"_**

Rukia blushed. Renji was so close and his breath was on her. It was uncomfortable and she could tell that he was now starting to make a move on her.

_**"Ho-how ca-can I li-like him? He's just a friend. I to-told you that a c-co-couple of t-times."** _Rukia kept on stuttering because Renji wasn't moving away and he was very close to her face.

Renji smiled. He was glad of the effects that he had on Rukia. He made a decision last week to be much closer to her and try to court her if he would have a chance. _**"That's great! I knew that, I was just making sure of it."**_

**_"Kuchiki! Abarai!"_** Inoue's voice boomed across the two sitting at the table. She was running towards them holding Ichigo, or rather dragging him.

**_"We're so sorry! We didn't mean to be late! Were you waiting for so long?"_** Inoue looked at Renji and saw him and Rukia sitting beside each other and apparently too close. Renji was still leaning towards Rukia and didn't bother to move. He narrowed his eyes at Ichigo which didn't go unnoticed by the orange haired boy.

_**"It's okay, Renji and I passed the time talking."** _Rukia smiled at Inoue then shifted her eyes to Ichigo. She smiled at him and she could feel that gladness washed through her when she saw Ichigo. She was glad because now Renji wouldn't do unnecessary things.

Renji saw Rukia's gesture towards Ichigo. They just saw each other and Renji was pissed off already. He really couldn't stand it when Rukia smiles at the other guy, or when Ichigo calls her by her first name. _**"'Bout time you two showed up. I thought you decided to ditch us and go someplace you'll enjoy without someone to bother you!"**_ Renji sarcastically snapped at Ichigo. He was looking directly at Ichigo's amber eyes.

_**"Watch your mouth DOG!"** _

_**"Make me STUPID CARROT!**_

**_"Renji! Cut it out!"_ **Rukia narrowed her eyes at Renji's remark. She turned to the couple and directed her next words to them. _**"Uhm will you please give us a minute?"** _Rukia stood up and pulled Renji from his chair and went away from Inoue and Ichigo.

**_"Renji, promise me that you're not gonna do anything or even say something against Ichigo. If you won't, I'm going to end this now and just go home. Please! Promise me!"_** Rukia pleaded and a very sad expression was on her face, emphasizing every word she said.

Renji looked at Rukia. _'How can I not give her what she wants when she's talking like her life depends on it? Why is it very important for her not hurt the orange bastard?'_ Renji was starting to get irritated of Rukia.

"**_Fine! I won't say anything anymore but he better not be in my way!"_**

**_"Thanks Renji, I appreciate it."_ **Rukia smiled at Renji and it made Renji's heart warm.

They went back to their table were Ichigo and Inoue were waiting. Ichigo was narrowing his eyes the time he saw Rukia dragged Renji away and leaned to him. When he saw them walking back he averted his gaze at Inoue.

**_"So, where are we going? Is it near?"_ **Rukia asked Ichigo. Her eyes were glowing and she was really excited.

**_"Oh, Uhm..."_** nervous was what Ichigo was feeling. In truth, he didn't have a clue as to where they'll go. He thought for the whole week where to take them but still he couldn't think of any place. While on the way to meet Rukia he was wishing that an idea would pop in his head.

**_"Uhm... I was thinking of... Of... Of bringing... Of bringing you to... T-To... to... To the... MALL!"_** Ichigo blurted out when he saw two girls passing by with paper bags from malls. He didn't intend to say it out loud.

**_"What!"_ **three people shouted out. One with an inquiring and trying to be sweet tone, another with sarcasm and the last one with wonder.

_**"Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! You're kidding right? Hahaha! Rukia, is this the guy you're so proud of a minute ago? I thought you said that this guy is amazing and will take us somewhere we'll definitely like? Hahaha!"**_ Renji said between fits of laughter.

_**"Renji! Stop it! I'm sure Ichigo has an explanation, right?"**_ Rukia looked at Ichigo with hopeful eyes.

Ichigo stared back at Rukia and smiled with embarrassment. **_"Yes, of course. Well... I-I w- I was-I thought that maybe... Maybe I should show you around the mall because... Because you should be familiarize with it! Yeah! That's right. I mean, so that next time you can come here whenever you just like! And aside from that since this is like a "double date" I thought that maybe we could just hang out and do some stuff in the mall. Perhaps we could watch a movie, go bowling or even skate. You know, stuff that couples usually do."_ **Ichigo was amazed with himself. He didn't know how he thought of all the things he said in a flash. He was even stopping on purpose so he would have time to think of what he would say and now he's relieved and could breathe again.

**_"So, what do you think?"_** he looked at Rukia, hoping that even though it sucks to go to a mall and really "date" he wished that Rukia would just agree with him.

Rukia was contemplating what Ichigo said. If they will watch a movie she has to sit beside Renji and he will probably touch her inside the movies. _'That's not a good idea. I must refrain him from touching me again. But if we bowl I will embarrass my self in front of them because I can't bowl! I don't hang out my with my friends so much before so I don't go bowling. But I love skating. It has been a long time since I've skate. I think it will be fun to do it again.'_ Rukia weighed every options she's got. Thinking carefully of what to do next.

**_"I think that's a great idea!"_** Inoue suddenly shouted. **_"That's good. We could do all three things and we could enjoy our own dates Kuchiki. Don't you think so? It will be fun! Come on! Let's go!"_**

**_"Alright! Since you want to, then I think we should! I also want to skates. Renji?"_**

**_"fine! It's your decision that counts anyway. As long as you like it, then I think it's cool."_**

**_"Well, let's go then. We should hurry. Some movies will start in about an hour."_** Ichigo added while holding his girlfriend's hand and started walking.

* * *

><p>Rukia was sitting between the two boys inside the cinema. Renji was on her left side and Ichigo was on her right while Inoue was sitting on Ichigo's other side. Inoue was covering her ears because the sound was deafening since they chose an action movie. She didn't want to watch it but the other three voted for some bloodbath. Inoue wanted to watch a romantic movie since it was a date with Ichigo after all and watching an action movie won't make her cuddle on him and neither will he.<p>

It was getting bored for Inoue and nothing on the screen caught her eyes. She wished that the movie will finish soon so they could go bowling already. '_Maybe when we bowl I'll have fun. I just wish Ichigo can sense that I'm not interested anymore.'_ She looked at Ichigo and saw him staring straight in to the movie._ 'Who am I kidding? How can he? He's so caught up in watching and not even taking his eyes off of it.'_

Inoue was feeling uncomfortable and decided to go to the women's room. She turned to Ichigo and faced him. **_"Uhm... Ichigo, I'll just go to use the toilet."_**

**_"Do you want me to go with you?"_ **Ichigo asked Inoue but wasn't taking his eyes off the screen he was still watching and too engaged with the story to even bother looking at his girlfriend.

**_"That's not necessary, I can go alone. I'll be back."_** Inoue then stood up and avoided standing too straight or blocking the other watchers' view of the screen.

_"hhhhhmmm... I think I should buy some time in the bathroom. Even just for a couple of minutes."_ talking to herself often has made Inoue an expert in it. Expressing her annoyance with what happened to herself. She gave the movie an hour and yet nothing interest her. She was bored like a kid who was in a playground but no one to play with. While alone she thought of going outside and wait for the three people watching with her to finish but, Ichigo was one of them and she couldn't leave him alone. Even if she was sure that he wouldn't notice it since he didn't even look at her when she went away from him. In the end she decided to just give the movie a couple of time without her so she stayed in the women's room for a few more minutes.

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Rukia, I'll just buy some more popcorn. Do you want some drinks?"<em>** Renji whispered to rukia who was sitting beside her.

The closeness made Rukia a little bit uncomfortable so in order for Renji to move away quickly she told him she wanted some coke.

Renji stood up quietly and crouched his way out of the cinema to avoid disturbing other watchers. He didn't notice Inoue doing the same thing. They were both going outside thinking that their date was with someone else aside from them. Renji thought Rukia will not be left alone with Ichigo because Inoue was still with them and likewise, Inoue thought Ichigo won't be with Rukia only because she also thought that Renji was with them. They made their way out and left Ichigo and Rukia with each other.

Ichigo saw from the corner of his eyes that Renji moved and when he looked at him he saw the guy standing up.

**_'Rukia, where's Renji going?'_**

**_"Oh! He said he'll get some popcorn and drinks for me. To tell you the truth, I am kinda hungry."_**

**_"Well then, do you want to eat lunch already? Or some sandwiches perhaps?"_** Ichigo asked Rukia. He didn't like the idea of Rukia being hungry. She's small and looks very fragile that he felt like he had to take care of her.

**_"I'm fine. Like what I told you I'm just KINDA hungry. Not that much. I can still manage it. Besides, Renji's getting some food."_ **Rukia smiled warmly at Ichigo and it was reflected by the light coming from the screen that it makes the smile glow even more.

Mentioning Renji's name made Ichigo's eyebrows narrow with irritation. He looked at Rukia and decided that it was the best time to talk about it before the man with the blazing red hair comes back.

**_"Rukia, what is going on with you and Renji? I mean are you two really dating or seeing each other?"_**

**_"What! Who said that?"_** Rukia was wide eye when she heard Ichigo's question. **_"Ichigo how can you say that?"_**

**_"Well, for starters it looks like there IS something going on between the two of you. I mean he's always hovering over you and he looks at me like I'm stealing one of his prize possessions. Not only that, he doesn't let you talk to me alone and even looks at me like he'll kill me whenever I come closer at you."_**

**_"Ichigo it isn't like that. Alright I'll admit it. Renji is... He... He is... He is courting me."_** Rukia looked away from Ichigo. She didn't know why but she suddenly had an urge to avoid his eyes that was pinning her down.

**_"What? He's making a move on you? I knew it! Rukia, stay away from him as much as you can. You can't possibly trust him! He's a stupid person who only thinks of himself and DOESN'T really care about other people. I'm pretty sure he doesn't really like you and his just using yo-"_**

**_"Ichigo what are you saying? I'm sorry but you absolutely have no business in my problem! You have no right to say that."_** Rukia snapped at Ichigo while he was talking and insulting Renji. Even though she and Ichigo are in good terms she couldn't let the orange haired guy to just throw words at her other friend. She didn't like it when Ichigo started telling her to stay away from Renji.

Ichigo was dumbstruck. He had forgotten completely that he was talking to Rukia and not Inoue. Rukia had her own views and opinions and at the same time cautious. she knew what she's doing and respects everyone's thoughts including his. _'How could I be stupid? I shouldn't have said that. Now she'll think bad of me.'_

Ichigo sighed. He looked at Rukia and saw the girl looking down. Covering her eyes with her hair. She was embarrassed by the way that she talked to ichigo. She didn't mean to say those words to him. She always had those feelings like she needed to protect her friends, and since Renji was one of them she couldn't let Ichigo say nasty things about him.

**_"I'm sorry... I know I don't have the right to tell you what to do. I'm very sorry I didn't mean to hurt you."_** Ichigo was still looking at Rukia. She was still avoiding his gaze and Ichigo thought that maybe she was still mad at him.

**_"Rukia... I'm really sorry."_**

**_"It's fine. I'm not mad. I'm so sorry Ichigo, I shouldn't have said that. I know you were just trying to keep me safe but please trust me. I know Renji and I know he won't hurt me."_** Rukia finally had the courage to look back at him. She couldn't resist Ichigo's voice when he was pleading.

"**_Alright, but promise me you'll tell me if he will hurt you or do something bad to you. Do you understand?"_ **Ichigo arched his left eyebrow to show that he was serious.

Rukia smiled at him. At last she knew that Ichigo won't be rude to Renji again for the rest of the day.

**_"I promise that I will come to you if something goes wrong. You can count on that."_** And then she added,

**_"Thank you Ichigo."_**

* * *

><p>It was 5 o'clock. The sky was getting darker by the minute. It has been a very long day for the two odd couples who were going around the mall doing all the things that came up to them. After watching a movie they decided to have lunch at a fast food restaurant. Then they went to a bowling alley where the two guys didn't get tired of competing with each other. They had a few bets where money was involved. At first Renji was winning, but then Ichigo showed everybody how great he was at bowling, Renji was dumbfounded. Ichigo was just letting him have a good start and he had beaten Renji at every single game they played. The two girls got bored at watching them showing off. And when Rukia noticed that the boys weren't planning on stopping, she decided to snap them out of their own world. They had ice cream after playing and Inoue was very glad with that. It turned out that she loves ice cream and it was her favorite dessert.<p>

While having ice cream Rukia saw two little girls wearing bright colored skirts. They were twins and was wearing the same outfit. But what caught Rukia's eyes were the skates that the little girls were carrying. She figured that the girls were going skating and got too excited to try it out too. And that's how the four of them ended up at the back of the mall where the skating rink was located.

Everyone in the skating rink was obviously having fun. It has been a long time since Rukia went to a place like that. Ever since her parents died she couldn't skate anymore. She felt sad about it because skating was the sport that she really loves and she was pretty good with it. Her brother became very busy and had no time to take her and go skating. Whenever Byakuya would have time off from work, he would ask Rukia where she wanted to go,. But being the kind and considerate sister she was, she would tell her brother that she just wanted to stay at home and rest so that her brother could rest too.

**_"Rukia! Aren't you having fun? You're spacing out and was staring at the same place for quite a while now. Is something wrong? Are you okay?"_ **Renji was beside Rukia with worried look on his face.

"**_Renji I'm fine. I'm really having fun today. It's so good to hang out with friends. You know, I don't usually do this. I like staying indoors and was always alone."_**

**_"Rukia, you're not alone. You just want to BE alone. I think it's time to be closer to others. By others I mean other girls. I don't want you to be closer to men or even boys."_**

Renji and Rukia were at the edge of the rink. They were skating side by side. When Renji saw Rukia alone and staring into nothing he went closer to her and talked to her. He took the opportunity to be alone with Rukia while Ichigo was teaching Inoue how to skate and was at the farthest end of the rink.

Rukia looked at Renji. She was getting more and more uncomfortable with Renji by the minute. He was making every move he could and was on the very edge of irritating Rukia. She decide that it was time to know what Renji expects to happen and what her true feelings are for him.

_**"Renji, why are you doing this?"**_

_**"what do you mean?"**_ Renji asked Rukia.

**_"You know, this!"_** Rukia pointed at herself and Renji to emphasize that she's talking about them. _**"Why are you doing this? Do you really like me? I mean like me THAT much?"**_

_**"Rukia, skate with me? Let's also talk."**_ Renji offered his hand to Rukia while she was starting to move away but she pretended that she didn't see it and continued skating. Although Renji was disappointed he ignored what happened and also pretended that nothing happened.

**_"Rukia, I know that it seems so sudden, me liking you and wants to asked you out on a date, but please believe me if I say that from the moment I laid eyes on you when I was in the hospital, I've liked you ever since then. And when I say "like" I don't mean it as a friend. I do like you and I am serious about it."_** Renji looked at Rukia intently and saw something in her eyes he couldn't quite distinguish.

**_"Renji, I'm really flattered and really happy that you feel something for me but..."_** Rukia looked away. She and Renji were still skating while talking to him and she had thought that it might be a good idea to tell Renji now that she couldn't possibly reciprocate his feelings. The earlier the better.

**_"but what? Do you have someone you like right now?"_ **Renji was hurting, but because of pride he couldn't tell Rukia. He snapped his eyes at the orange haired boy who was holding Inoue a few feet away from them. Jealousy was written all over Renji's face when he looked at Ichigo and it didn't go unnoticed to Rukia.

**_"No! It's not that. I don't think I'm ready with another relationship right now. I just want to focus on my studies and with my brother. When we moved to Karakura, I promised myself that I won't think of anybody else aside from my brother. After all the things that he did for me, I think he deserves to be taken care of. And I can't do that if I'm thinking of another man aside from him. I want him to be the center of my life right now. Please understand that."_** Rukia did her best to prove to Renji that she was telling the truth well, half truth. She did want to take care of Byakuya first and foremost before having a boyfriend again and she did promise herself to be there for her brother but, she also promised herself that if she'll ever have someone special that person will be someone Byakuya likes.

Renji was not the kind of person that takes no for an answer. Although he understand her and he could feel that Rukia was indeed sincere with her words, he still won't let go of her that easily. He would wait. Sooner or later if Renji would do his best he will win over Rukia and they will be happy together. Just like what he wanted.

**_"I understand. But it doesn't mean that I will stop. I will wait and when the right time comes I will be beside you. I will always be right beside you to prove you that I will be the perfect guy for you. I won't interfere with your plans for your brother and I promise you I wont bother you everyday. So please, just let me like you and stay with you. Even as your friend, for now."_**

Ideas were running out from Rukia's head. She didn't know what to say and she definitely didn't have an answer to Renji's question. If she let him do what he wants there would be no guarantees that he will really wait. One look at Renji and you'll know that he isn't the kind of person that has patience so she knew that sooner or later he will bother her again with his feelings. But if this is the best that she could get, then she would gladly take it. Anything, just to get Renji out of her hair for a while.

**_"Fine Renji. If you'll promise me that you'll patiently wait for my decision then I won't ignore you nor will I stop being your friend. I do want to be your friend. You seem like a great guy and I will appreciate it so much if nothing ever happen between us to jeopardize our relationship. So please, don't fail me."_** Rukia pronouced each word with clarity so Renji wouldn't misinterpret and misunderstand everything.

**_"I promise I won't let my feelings get in your way. Thank you Rukia." Renji inwardly smiled._**

**_"Rrrrrriiiiinnnnnnggggg..."_**

Renji's phone made a loud sound that surprised Rukia and him a little bit. He took it out from his pocket and moved away from Rukia a little farther. He was talking for a few minutes before hanging up and went back to where Rukia was left.

"_**I'm sorry. I have to go now. I... I... I... Something important came up and I need to fix it."**_ Renji was starting to sweat and Rukia didn't like it that he was trying to lie to her. 'So much for the liking thing. We're not yet even a couple and he's starting to be dishonest.'

**_"Is something wrong? Did someone got hurt?"_**

**_"No, no one's got hurt. I'm just needed right now and I really do have to leave you. Will you be okay if i leave you with the orange bastard and his busty girlfriend?"_ **Sarcasm is one of the many things that Renji couldn't help.

**_"their names are Ichigo and Inoue, and yes I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. You just go. I will tell them you left. Anyway it's dark already so I need to go back home too. I would stop by a store first and then head back home. You go. No need to say goodbye to Ichigo and Inoue."_**

**_"Che! Like I was planning to. Thanks! I'll see you at school! Bye!"_** Renji started running fast and didn't bother waiting for Rukia's goodbye. He took off his skates outside the rink and toss them over the rental counter. He ran back to the mall and turned right and then disappeared.

Through the crowd Rukia swept her eyes looking for Inoue and ichigo. She needed to go home and if they wanted to stay she will just leave them alone. She found them at the edge of the rink. Apparently, Inoue still couldn't figure out how to skates. Slowly she approached the two and cleared her throat.

Ichigo saw her first and he noticed that Renji was out of sight. He looked for him among the crowd but couldn't find any guy with red hair.

_**"If you're looking for Renji, he's gone. He left already and he looked like he was in a hurry so he didn't say goodbye to both of you."**_

_**"Oh! Was there any problem at all?" Inoue butted in.**_

_**"He said there's an emergency and he needs to leave early. Actually I also need to go. Byakuya might be home and I think I will be in heap of trouble if I stay longer."**_

_**"Okay. Sure let's go. Inoue do yo-"**_

_**"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot about the time! Tatsuki's gonna flip out! Oh no! I'll just call her. please wait for a minute Kuchiki." **_Inoue took out her phone and dialed Tatsuki's number. She talked fast and kept on apologizing at the person on the phone. It seemed like Tatsuki and her were_ **su**_pposed to meet at Inoue's apartment and sleep at her place. Inoue was having fun being with Ichigo so she has forgotten to go home early.

After hanging up she looked at Ichigo and Rukia and an apologetic look was on her face. **_"I'm very sorry. I need to go. Tatsuki's waiting for me and she's really pissed of."_**

**_"Alright let's go. We'll take you home first Inoue and then I'll send Rukia back home. That way I'll know that both of you will be safe."_ **Ichigo looked at his watch and saw that it was really time to go back to their own places.

_**"Awwww... You're so sweet Ichigo. You're a true gentleman. That's why I'm so glad that you're mine!"**_ Inoue was So bubbly and blushing at Ichigo.

Rukia didn't know whether to ignore it or comment on the two. In the end she decided that she didn't really need to do anything so she turned around and started walking towards the exit and when Ichigo saw her he dragged Inoue to follow her. They took off their skates and went back home together.

* * *

><p>"<strong><em>I'll see you tomorrow?"<em>**

**_"No I don't think so. I'm tired and I just want to stay at home for the mean time."_** Ichigo was leaning on Inoue's door. They've reached her apartment just in time before Tatsuki got mad and now, she was inside and making herself at home. Just before Ichigo left, Inoue asked him if he wanted to go out again tomorrow. Just the two of them.

**_"I'm sorry. Let's take a rest first. I'm pretty sure you're also tired right now, aren't you?"_**

**_"I understand. But we'll go out next time right? Alone and no one else with us?"_** Inoue's eyes were very hopeful.

**_"Sure. Next time. Anyway I have to go now. I don't think it's polite making Rukia wait. Bye! I'll see you on Monday!"_** Ichigo started running even before Inoue bid goodbye. It made the girl a little bit sad but regain her composure after a minute. She knew that Ichigo was in a hurry so Inoue thought that it was excusable. Opening the door, she strode inside the apartment and made her way to her friend Tatsuki who was sitting on a couch watching tv.

**_"Rukia!"_**

**_"Ichigo!"_**

**_"I'm sorry if you waited for so long. I needed to make sure that Inoue was safe and sound inside. So... Should I take you home?"_**

**_"Actually I need to go to a store. I have to buy some fruits for Byakuya. I called him just now and I told him I will be late for a while. But you don't need to come with me. I can handle it myself."_**

**_"Rukia, it's almost 7 o'clock. It might be early for us but for others its the time to hurt anybody who passes by. I think it'll be better if you take me with you. Anyway my father's not expecting me until 9 o'clock."_**

**_"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you but, clearly that's what I'm doing now."_**

**_"Che! When will you ever listen to me? You're always so stubborn! You know that it's safer if I'll go with you and I'm offering it myself but still, you're refusing! You're so stubborn midget!"_**

Rukia's eyes flashed dangerously at Ichigo. She looked at him like she wanted to hurt him and that's exactly what she did. She kicked him right on his leg.

**_"Ouch! Why did you do that for?"_**

**_"You're seriously asking me that question? You're unbearable strawberry! I can't believe that we're actually friends! Ugh! How can Inoue tolerate your stupid behavior? Be honest with me. What potion did you make her drink?"_**

**_"Just because someone's in love with me doesn't mean that I only gave them love potion or whatever it is that's in your head! Maybe it's you that gave something to Abarai that made him head over heels in love with you in just one week of meeting him! You're so annoying Midget!"_** while holding his leg, another hit from Rukia came onto Ichigo. This time it was directed to the back of his head. It made Ichigo wince in pain and was glaring his amber eyes at Rukia.

**_"Again, STOP HITTING ME! Ugh! So annoying!"_**

**_"The first one was for accusing me about Renji! The second was for calling me by that STUPID NAME!"_**

**_"Well it's not my fault for saying the truth!"_** Ichigo continued on snapping at Rukia while teasing her with everything he could. They continued on doing that while walking to the store.

At the store Rukia was looking for some fruits to buy while Ichigo was scanning the magazines about cars and bikes. The stand was located by the cashier and was into reading when he saw something sparkled and it caught his eyes. He went near it and saw that it was a cellphone case with a white rabbit wearing a purple dress and a clip on its ear was on the front of it. He asked the cashier how much it was and paid for it. After taking it back he carefully put it in his pocket and was very cautious of crashing the thing. He then looked around the store for Rukia to see whether she was finished or not. Rukia was approaching the counter and ready to pay for everything. She had bought a lot of fruits for her brother like, mangoes, apples and strawberries. Ichigo went closer to help her and put all of them in the counter and pay for them.

**_"Wow! Your brother must be fond of fruits. You've bought a lot."_** Ichigo took out the mangoes one by one from the basket and put them all on the counter to be checked.

**_"Yes. He loves these kinds of fruits. But this one here..."_ **Rukia took out the strawberries and held it high to show Ichigo. "**_These are for me. You remind me of strawberries too much that I'm craving for some strawberry milkshake. Hhhmmm... What a nice way to end the day."_** Rukia even licked her lips absentmindedly.

**_"Please, I know that your just doing that on purpose to insult me. Huh! It won't work this time. I don't care anymore on what you do."_** Ichigo rolled his eyes at her and took the plastics from the cashier while Rukia paid the woman.

The two then decided to walk to Rukia's house since it's only a couple of blocks away from the store. They were side by side and was very quiet. Just enjoying the night and the end of it. Rukia's thoughts were on Byakuya and what he would say when she gets back home when Ichigo suddenly spoke.

**_"So, did you have fun today? I'll understand if you'll tell me that it sucks. Yes, going to the mall and treating it as a tourist spot is actually lame but, I'm still hoping that maybe even for just a little bit it have made you happy or rather enjoy the whole day."_**

**_"Well... I did enjoy the whole day. Even if it was just the mall still, it was fun. I like it. Thank you Ichigo. You're so kind. You never get tired of me."_**

**_"Why would I get tired of you? You're one of the people I like hanging out with. You're fun to be with and I enjoy your company a lot. Stop saying stupid things. I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for choosing me to be your freaking tour guide."_**

The two continued talking but were not facing each other. Too embarrassed by the situation. Ichigo was looking on his left while Rukia's face was straight on the ground. They weren't stopping walking and they're getting nearer and nearer at Rukia's place.

**_"Uhm... About Renji. I respect that you and him are friends. I can't change that. I just want you to tell me if you have problems with him or if he's hurting you. Please don't hesitate to tell me."_**

**_"I Promise to tell you if anything bad happens. Happy Mr. Strawberry?"_**

Ichigo smiled at her. She still has plenty of jokes to go around and could lift up the mood surrounding them.

**_"Yes, I'm satisfied with that. So, are you planning on being Renji's girlfriend? That's what everybody was talking about. The new girl falls in love with the bad guy. You two are the highlight of the school. So does he have a chance on you?"_ **A small pebble was on the ground directly at Ichigo's way and it reflected the light from the sky and lamps on the street. It picked his interest and he started kicking it over and over while walking.

Although Ichigo wasn't showing his eyes to Rukia his voice was filled with hope and concern something that Rukia could sense. Her mind started racking everything that happened and thought that they all went well than she expected except from the fact that now Renji thought he could be her boyfriend one day and was hinting of something she couldn't quite figure out if she wouldn't answer him.

Rukia also thought of what was her real purpose of going out today with Ichigo, Inoue and Renji. It was to figure out her true feelings. She had thought about it this morning and has made up her mind.

She would tell Ichigo about her true feelings and she needed to do it before the two of them separate.

Sadness washed through her. What happens at the end of the day will depend on how Ichigo will handle the situation and she had a hunch that it will not favor her.

If she was going to reply to Ichigo's question she didn't want to sound like she's just pretending so Rukia stopped walking and held Ichigo's right hand to turn him to her.

Amber eyes were on her and they were holding Rukia's violet ones, curious of what she was doing but was not stopping her. She looked at him straight into his eyes and slowly she told him what was really in her mind.

**_"Will you promise me that you'll listen first before you speak?"_**

Ichigo nodded. Encouraging Rukia to continue. That he wouldn't stop her whatever she has to say.

Getting confidence from Ichigo's assurance, rukia continued talking. **_"I didn't really like the idea of Renji coming along. I was surprised when Inoue proposed to tag along with us. I didn't want to be the only one without a date so I asked Renji to come but in truth, it's so awkward for me. I like him but only as a friend. I did my best to get away from his grasp because I didn't want to give him hopes."_**

Rukia had let go of Ichigo's hand and looked away. Then she breathed in deeply to relax for a bit and continued.

_**"I think I'm starting to like someone else. But I don't really know if these feelings I have for him is serious or just one of those that disappears after a day. Maybe I'm mistaken or maybe I'm not but I don't really know. I'm so confuse right now and I can't decide on what to do. But..."** _Unable to go on and was having trouble to express what she wanted to tell Ichigo, Rukia turned around from him and looked at her feet.

_**"But what Rukia? Are you okay?"** _Slowly, Ichigo's hand started moving up to hold Rukia's shoulder but decided against it. He didn't want to give Rukia any reason to stop so he encourage her through his words. Whatever she wanted to tell him needed to be spoken. To get through with it already and take actions.

**_"Tell me Rukia and together we will settle this. I'll gladly help you throughout everything."_** somehow Ichigo has a clue on what she was talking about. He's afraid of what would be the outcome and what could happen to everyone who's involved. For now, he's only certain of one thing. Whatever Rukia's trying to say would _hurt_ the two of them, especially Rukia. This was something he didn't anticipate.

Slowly, Rukia turned back again to Ichigo. She filled her lungs with air and in her mind it was time to say it. She looked intently in to his eyes and opened her mouth.

**_"I like you Ichigo."_**

To say that Ichigo was shocked was an understatement. He was expecting this but hearing the words in actual still surprised him. He couldn't speak and respond to Rukia so he kept his mouth shut. But his eyes were curious and were holding a lot of unsaid questions.

Rukia knew that Ichigo would be surprised but she didn't expect him not to say anything. She sensed that he didn't know how to tell her that whatever she's feeling for him wouldn't be returned. Rukia wasn't expecting Ichigo to tell her that he likes her but at least to tell her what he thinks of it. She expected his reaction but it hurt her as well. Even if he wasn't saying anything Rukia knew that he just couldn't say it on her face. He couldn't tell her that she's crazy for liking a guy who has the most beautiful girlfriend in school.

_'How can he like me? Comparing me to Inoue wouldn't even help. Why am I feeling sad and lonely. I don't love him right? I said that I only like him. Like and love are very different with each other. But why am I feeling like a hole has been punched through my heart? I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have told Ichigo that. I have ruined everything on this one day. First was with Renji and now with ichigo. I'm so selfish. I didn't even consider what Ichigo will feel. I only thought of myself. I only thought about getting rid of what's bothering me. I'm so sorry Ichigo.'_

In order to stop him in confusion she thought of a way to get out of the mess she created herself.

**_"I don't know when it started or how it happened, I just know that I have these funny feelings when I'm around you. I like it so much when we spend time together. More than when I'm with Renji."_**

Another deep breath was done by Rukia. **_"I know it isn't right so believe me if I say that I have no intention of hurting you or confusing you. Inoue's a nice girl and I don't want to hurt her. She's very lovely. Has a positive attitude, gets along pretty well with everyone and everybody thinks you two are the best couple there is. You two matches well with each other. I don't want to ruin her trust on me. To be mad at me for being stupid. Don't worry, I don't think that I'm in love with you yet so as early as possible I will stop this."_**

Sweeping her eyes around the area were they were stuck she noticed that only one block was remaining to her house. Rukia took the grocery bags from Ichigo and stared at him. She showed through her eyes how much it pained her to do what she has to do. Her right feet moved away backwards to were she's standing. One by one they were dragging her away from Ichigo. When she was a couple of steps away from him she stopped moving and smiled at him.

Rukia was slowly moving away from Ichigo. He has feeling that somehow this wasn't what he really wanted. His feet looked like they have their own mind and they took a step forward where Rukia was.

**_"Rukia..."_**

Rukia saw that Ichigo moved his lips and took a step towards her but she cut him off.

_**"Inoue's such a lucky girl. Do me a favor and please don't tell her what happened. I wouldn't be able to bare the look she'll throw at me if she'll ever find out. She's a very sweet girl and lively. I'm glad that I met the both of you and I don't regret even one minute of the time we're together. Even if that was just for a short time I'll treasure every moment."**_

For the last time, Rukia looked straight in to Ichigo's eyes. There were so many things expressed on them but she couldn't tell what they were. She gave him a full minute to say something but at the end of that one simple minute nothing was spoken. It was like Ichigo was stuck and couldn't move. Like she was talking to a tree and it was not talking back. She nodded to tell him that she understood why his actions were nonresponsive. Although a small part of Rukia wanted to scream at him and tell him to make her stop, she knew that it was hopeless. Their friendship has to end. Ichigo wouldn't stop her because for him, Rukia was just a friend and will stay as a friend. Just like what Renji was to her.

While looking at him, she smiled friendly and bowed low.

**_"Arigato Ichigo..."_**


	9. Chapter 9: Troubled by you

Lost in love

Chapter 9: troubled by you

_**"Sigh"**_

_**"Hhhmmm..."**_

Inside a man's room was a single white bed. On it was a man with spikey orange hair who has been sighing for the past two hours. the man or should say boy, was sitting on the bed and was leaning his back on the headboard. while his right leg was stretched out on the soft mattress, his other leg was bended. On his right hand was his phone. The name and number of a certain girl was flashing on the screen with a picture of her on the far end corner. The name written on it was "Kuchiki Rukia".  
>It has been a whole week without a word from the raven haired girl. A complete week since she told Ichigo that she likes him. Seven days of nothing from her. She didn't utter a single word to him and was doing a great job of completely ignoring him. Occasionally she will nod to acknowledge his presence and even bow to greet him but aside from those, nothing else. When they went back to school last Monday Rukia only smiled at him before the first period. Gradually, the smile lessened until it vanished and a nod replaced it. Ichigo thought that when she flashed him a smile that day everything was back to normal but apparently he was mistaken. During Monday, for that whole day she didn't talk to him. She was always in a hurry. Rushing everything she's doing and when it was lunch, she zoomed her way out of the classroom. Avoiding everyone as much as she could.<p>

It also didn't help that Rukia gave Inoue much more attention than him. It was nice to know that even though Rukia was avoiding him, Inoue didn't suffer the same fate. She talked to Inoue if needed. Although she didn't hang out with her she didn't try to get away from the auburn haired girl.  
>He could still remember that day. The day when Rukia took a step away from him. Saying goodbye.<p>

Ichigo was shocked. His feelings were mixed with emotions. He tried to think clearly that day, but what Rukia revealed to him was very confusing.

Rukia likes him...

It wasn't a confession but stating a fact. She only told him how he meant to her. She told him that she likes him. She looked at his eyes with sincerity and spoke to him. Told him how her feelings developed into something new.

Ichigo looked at his phone and saw the picture on it. For the enth time he sighed. 'I'm so stupid. Why didn't I say something? Why did I stare at her like she was insane? I didn't even asked her why and how it happened. I stood there in front of her and was speechless. I must be the most stupid person right now."  
>When Rukia took a step away from him his mind was in a daze. He tried to think of anything to stop her from moving. His mind racked of any reason to say but none was found. He couldn't do anything but wish that what she was doing was a mere joke and anytime then she will jump and tell him "Got you!" but alas, he was once again mistaken.<p>

Why did it have to happen? Why did she has to say that and ruin everything? But, did she really do something bad? He knew that she did what she has to, just to avoid further consequences. He couldn't blame her.

They had fun. Too much fun. He likes it when he's with her. Sympathizes with him and they understand each other. He couldn't help but smile whenever she's around. She's very fun to be with. Everyday she was one of the reasons that he's eager to go to school. And when the weekends were near he spent all Friday nights thinking of what they'll do on Saturday.

And most of all, he likes it when her lips formed into a smile. It was priceless.

Ichigo was confused. He tried reasoning in every possible way he could. First he thought maybe he could ignore the whole thing and pretend like nothing happened and greet Rukia like what he always do. He had hoped that Rukia will go with his flow but when Monday came and he saw that she was serious of avoiding him, he lost his nerve. Next, he tried cornering Rukia in the classroom after class but the short girl was too quick for him. She was gone before he could even finish packing up his bag.  
>Why was he so concerned of her? Why couldn't he just let it go and move on with his life? Inoue was asking him on a date but he declined her invite. She was forcing him with her cute eyes but it had no effect on him. He told the busty girl that he didn't want to go anywhere for now because he needed to finish some work and that he has to help with his father's clinic. He might not admit it directly but Rukia affected him too much and he knew that in this situation there's no way of solving it other than talking to the said girl.<p>

This was the first that he held his phone for a long time. He was debating with himself whether to call Rukia or not. He was staring at his phone thinking of what to say if she'll answer. So far he has thought of none. What do you say to someone who likes you? Especially since this person was a very close friend? What will He tell Rukia that could ease the tension between the two of them? Perhaps he wasn't ready to face her yet. Maybe he still needs time to process everything before he takes a step. but until when could he delay this? Will it be until the two of them completely forget each other and live their own lives without being friends again?

_**"No!"**_  
><em><strong>"I can't allow that to happen! It was great being with her. I had felt surprisingly happy with a girl. Maybe even much better than with Inoue. I have to do this I can't be a coward and run from this."<strong>_ Ichigo couldn't help but voice out loud his own thoughts.

What was his real feelings for Rukia? Did he like her the way she has felt for him? All he knew was she's one of the most amazing person he has met. He trusted her more than anyone else. They were definitely close but how close are they? _'I don't know what I feel for her but I know that I can't lose her. She's very special that's for sure and if I do feel something for her it doesn't mean that we should be together right? Inoue loves me and she has trusted me with her life ever since her brother died. I can't let her down because of Rukia.'_

_'But... I.. I... I also... I also need... Rukia... by my side... I need her.'_

_'I can't lose our friendship just like that. Yes. It's our friendship that I'm worried of. Nothing else.'_ His thoughts were trying to convince himself but deep down he knew that it was only half the truth and he's uncertain of it.

Ichigo pressed the call button and listened to it. With bated breath he waited for the other end to ring and be picked up. every sound that the phone was making was like getting closer to an end.

* * *

><p><em>'I will never regret it...'<em>  
><em>'No matter how hard it is for me, I will never ever say that I regretted what I've done.'<em>  
><em>'It's necessary and it was for the best, right?'<em>

No matter how much Rukia convinced herself it seems like doubts were planted within her. All her thoughts were Useless as they seem like they couldn't help her. Thoughts ran through her head but what ever she hoped and wanted to believe, she still couldn't fool herself.  
>She was so confused with her own feelings.<p>

Rukia was staring at nothing in particular. She's lying straight on the bed and has been in that position for a couple of hours. It has been hours since she pondered her thoughts at a guy who has been her friend. A guy with orange hair and a scowl planted firmly on his face.

_**"Ichigo..."**_

A name that sounded so distant was spoken from her lips. A name that hasn't been said for about a week came out from her own mouth '_I have decided to get away and ignore you. But, how come you have never left my mind? I wanted to forget about you but it's difficult. Did I make a mistake? Did I do the right thing? It was for the best right? I couldn't trust myself to not fall for you.'_ rukia was still debating on herself about her actions. She needed to justify what she has done to Ichigo.  
>It really was for the best. Over and over She kept on convincing herself that Ichigo and she weren't meant to be friends. She needed to say goodbye to not hurt anybody. Yes she could inflict pain on someone if she wasn't careful. She could hurt Inoue. Inoue was a nice girl and hasn't done anything wrong. She wouldn't like it if she'll find out that her friend likes her boyfriend.<p>

If Rukia didn't tell Ichigo that she likes him she would be haunted by her feelings. She could fall for Ichigo. Ichigo was handsome, trusting and a gentleman. it wasn't hard for her to fall for him. Only a fool wouldn't like him. He was one of the famous students in Karakura high. A lot of girls were jealous of Inoue and wanted to steal him from her. She had even heard one of the other students talking about his body and how handsome he was. Of course Rukia knew that he was indeed good looking. It was hard to ignore it when he was always showing his smile at her. He's more handsome when he was smiling but unfortunately she hasn't seen that smile for a while now.  
><em>'Get a grip of yourself Rukia! It's over. You can't be friends with him. He's not even talking to you. Stupid! How could he talk to me if I'm avoiding him as best I could. I was the one trying to move away when I feel like I'm too close from his presence.'<em>

_'But... I was hoping that at least he would try and talk to me. He would ask me if we could just forget everything. Maybe he knows that it was indeed for the sake of both of us. Maybe he doesn't wanna talk to me anymore.'_ Rukia sighed and clutched her chest. Her heart was heavy from all emotions. All she wanted to do was forget Ichigo but day after day it was proving to be more difficult than she expected. There wasn't a time that she was not thinking of him. She closed her eyes and wished that sleep will invade all her thoughts and conscious...

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Riiiiiing..."<strong>_

_**"Rrrrriiiiiiing..."**_

_**"Rrrrriiiiiing..."**_

_**"What the-?"**_

Rukia slowly opened her eyes irritated by the sound that woke her up and looked around her room. She saw her phone on the table with a clock beside it. She swept a glance on the clock and saw that it was midnight already. Wondering who would call at this hour she took the source of the noise from the side table and looked at it.  
>When she saw the caller she bolted upright bringing herself into a sitting position. She couldn't believe who it was calling in the middle of the night.<p>

It was Ichigo...

With shaking hand and holding her breath, slowly she pressed the receive button.

**_"Hello?"_**

**_"Hello? Ru-Rukia?"_**

**_"Ichigo? Yo-you ca-called."_**

Ichigo deeply breathed in. He took all the courage he could to speak to Rukia and now is his chance. It's now or never. **_"I'm here. Outside your house at the gate. Please, come out. We need to talk. I have something to tell you."_**

Rukia was surprised and let go of her breath that she unconsciously was holding. She was so shocked that she has forgotten for a minute she was on the phone.

_**"Hello? Rukia are you still there?"**_

_**"..."**_

No response could be heard from the other line.

**_"Rukia? Hello?"_**

Ichigo was starting to think that maybe Rukia had hung up.

**_"Ru-"_**

**_"I'll be right there."_** Rukia huffed. She clicked the end button and looked at the mirror. Checking herself in it. She fixed her hair which is slightly everywhere on her face. After that, she dashed to the closet and took out her red jacket. On her way out of her room she tripped over her bag that she carelessly tossed on the floor earlier. While cursing the bag she has put on the jacket and also its hood so she could cover her face when she sees Ichigo. She didn't know why she agreed to meet him when she knew that it wasn't right, but it made her heart jump to know that he even bothered going to her house in the middle of the night just to see her. aside from that, she has been thinking of Ichigo.

When the line ended, Ichigo became nervous. This would be the first time that the two will talk after a week full of dullness. He has been calling Rukia for about an hour but she didn't answer and thinking that she didn't want to talk to him he figured out of coming over to her house to force her to settle their issues once and for all.  
>His father saw him creeping out of the house but he didn't say anything probably because his dad knew that something was up with him. He might have been a good actor in school and pretended that nothing's wrong but at home he knew that he couldn't lie to his family so he didn't bother showing a fake smile and sulked in his room for about a week. Ichigo could remember what his dad told him when he asked permission to go out.<p>

_"Just do what your heart tells you."_

It was just a sentence but meant a lot to him. Because of that one line he had thought of a way to his problems and if everything would go according to his plan he could have Rukia back.

There was sound coming behind him and he looked from the source. The gate was opening and a very small figure was emering from the other side of it. Judging by the height and the color of the hair that shined from the lamp post he knew it was Rukia. But he couldn't see her face totally because she was wearing a jacket with a hood on it that looked a little bit bigger for her size so it covered half of her face. He couldn't see her big violet eyes that has haunted his mind in the past week. He realized how much he missed those eyes and was controlling himself from ripping the hood away from the petite girl. '_Why can't she look at me in the eyes like she used to do. I want to see those eyes.'_

_**"What are you doing here?"**_ Without taking off the hood from her head Rukia spoke to him and broke the silence. She couldn't look at Ichigo in fear that her expression would betray her feelings and Ichigo would see what she's hiding. **_"Like what I've said, We have to talk."_**

**_"There's nothing to talk about. I made myself clear last week and apparently you understood what I meant otherwise we wouldn't have been ignoring each other."_** Still looking down Rukia wished that she could contol her voice and her body to not shake. She didn't know what to say and she was just making everything as she goes.

**_"I was not ignoring you! You were the one who decided to completely ignore me! Like I don't exist! How could you do that Rukia? I thought there was something special between us? I thought we were friends!"_** Ichigo couldn't contain his actions anymore. He snapped at Rukia after she initiated that he ignored her.

Rukia turned to her right and looked at the moon her face was still hidden from Ichigo's view she has let go of a tear that was on her eye the moment she saw his back when she was approaching him. '_He was right. I was the one who has done it but why didn't he stop me? Why did he let it go? Wait a minute, am I really waiting for him to stop me? Am I that easy to break when it comes to him?'_

She continued talking while staring at the white moon. "**_Even if I was the one who started it, I know that you knew what I meant. You know what my situation would be with Inoue and with... With you if this continues."_ **and by "this" the two knew that it meant liking Ichigo or worse, falling in love with each other. She was starting to relax more as she saw the moon.

_**"Huh! You're so stubborn! You haven't changed a bit!**_" suddenly Rukia heard Ichigo snickering a little until it turned into laughter. "_**Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha!"**_  
>Embarrassed more cause of Ichigo's reaction Rukia hid herself more in the hood and waited for Ichigo to stop laughing. She had no idea of the reason why he was laughing and it was starting to irritate her.<p>

When Ichigo's laughter subsided he huffed a last breath and looked at Rukia.

**"You haven't changed a bit. I miss that..."** and in truth Ichigo started laughing because he suddenly realized that even though they didn't talk or communicated at all Rukia was Rukia. Nothing changed much and she was still the same one he knew.

Shocked with Ichigo's choice of words, Rukia looked at him and narrowed her eyes. They were seeking for some answers. She looked up at him and it made her hood fall down a little bit. Breathing deeply, Ichigo looked straight at Rukia. They were now facing each other and he could see that a tear stain was on her right cheek. Looking at her eyes on that moment made him realized how much Rukia meant to him. He knew how much it hurt him when she's not around. He could see the violet orbs shining with emotions. They were filled with pain and confusion. He didn't like being away from them and not seeing them for a long time and the red hood was blocking him of the sight.

Slowly he lifted up his right arm and pulled down the clothe covering Rukia's face. He touched the stain on her cheeks and wipe it away with his thumb. He lingered his fingers on her face longer than he should and rubbed them gently on her, caressing the surface with delicate touch and like smoothing the softness of her skin. She didn't move from his touch or even flinch from it and she was sinking on his flesh. They both felt like it was the first time they've held each other. Felt like it was the only time they could hold one another and both had the guilt that was slowly creeping in. One girl was in their both minds and that was Inoue.

But tonight was so perfect. The touch, the person in front of them and the moon shining above them. How could someone be not selfish and only think of the happiness that the night brought to them?

Ichigo continued caressing Rukia and sighed. He let his hand drop and stared at the ground. Whatever he thought didn't matter. Even if he thought their not doing anything he could still inflict pain on Inoue. Inoue was still his girlfriend and his actions could hurt her. '_I'm just touching her face, but why do I feel like I'm betraying Inoue's trust?'_

Taking another breath, Ichigo remembered his reason why he went over to see Rukia. **_"When you said that you like me I admit it, I was shocked. I didn't know how to react I mean, it wasn't everyday that someone will confess their feelings towards me. Inoue was the only person who had the courage to do that but even her she was extremely shy about it. It almost took her 30 minutes to confess and she couldn't directly look at me."_**  
><strong><em>"Rukia, There are so many things that I wanted to tell you. I... I just... Don't know... Ho-how."<em>**

Rukia took a step forward and slowly, she lifted her arm and touched his face. It was her turn to give him what he has done to her. She caressed his left cheek gently and felt the muscular face of a man. She took a breath and released it with words. **_"You don't need to tell me anything. I know you're troubled by what I said. And I don't like it when i'm the cause of your distress. That's the reason why I left and ignored you. I don't want to hurt you or Inoue."_**

**_"I think you should just leave, coming here won't solve anything. Eventually you'll forget me even my name. I'm so sorry Ichigo."_** She let her arm fall and was about to turn to go back to her room when Ichigo stopped her.

**_"You're right. You're hurting me. But not in the way you're thinking. Rukia, when you stopped talking to me I felt like some part of me was missing. I didn't know what to do. I was so lost. I couldnt stop thinking about you. I wanted so much to touch you and stare at your eyes. I miss them. The times we were together. The times when we had fun and the times that I could look into your eyes. Rukia, I think... I think... I li-"_**

Her back was still facing Ichigo and because of what he said she suddenly turned around to face him. **_"No Ichigo! Please don't say that word! You're only doing this to make me feel better. But it's not gonna work. Please just leave me alone. It's better this way... Think of Inoue. She'll cry for days. She'll be in pain for so long she wouldn't be able to take it. You know her, sadness and pain doesn't suit her. Please for her sake stop doing this."_** Rukia couldn't take it anymore. A person with auburn hair kept on popping in her head. She tried to block it but it was useless. She couldn't and wouldn't hurt her because Inoue trusted her so much. But it was so hard when the guy that you like is confessing his feelings for you unfortunately this guy is already committed and she had no right to take him away from the other girl.

Ichigo thought of what Rukia said. She was right as always. He couldn't hurt Inoue she depended on him too much to be left alone. She has been with him all the time. She had loved him with all her heart and it would truly break her if she knew what he was about to tell Rukia. But, what about him? Could he really just forget Rukia after accepting that he likes her?_ 'Am I ready to let her go just like that?'_

Ichigo looked straight at Rukia and held her right hand. He didn't let it go until he was done talking. **_"I... I understand. But I still can't let you go. Rukia, let me be by your side. Let's stay as friends. Like i've told you, I can't take it when we're not talking. So please stay by me. I promise you, I won't make it hard for you. Just... don't... Go... Please?"_**

**_"Ichigo, do you think that it's okay to stay that way after all of this? Will it really be just fine to stay close? I'm not sure about that."_** Still confused with their own feelings, rukia knew that to be friends with him was dangerous for the both of them but somehow she wanted to agree with him. For she too was in a dilemma when he wasn't around. _**"You don't need to answer me now, think about it until tomorrow. Meet me at twelve noon by the river bank. That was where I saved you and that place is really important to me. If you won't show up then I won't bother you anymore. But please promise me you'll think about it."**_ still holding Rukia's hand he slowly caressed it with his own. Feeling the smoothness of it.

With this simple gesture he felt so much weight was on it. He knew that this kind of action could upset Inoue but right now he wasn't thinking of anything nor anyone else. for him it was just Rukia and him. Just the two of them. Just for once he would be selfish and inconsiderate.

Her own hand felt like it fit in his. He had held her with both of his and took her small one. She couldn't help the feeling slowly creeping into her. It made her heart flutter with excitement and she knew that if Ichigo would ask her again, right now, if she would take him she would say yes. She would run over to him and tell him how much she likes him. Good thing that Ichigo gave her time to think. She didn't know what to say and unable to speak, so she stared at his amber eyes. She could see the moon reflecting in them. Shining brightly with each orbs. Slowly and with bated breath, she moved her head and nodded at him.

**_"Thank you, Rukia. I will wait for you tomorrow,"_** Ichigo wasn't moving his eyes from hers. He lifted up her hand and his lips met it halfway. Slowly, while he kissed her hand and smiled with pain in his heart for her girlfriend and happiness for the person in front of him, he added,

**_"For as long as I could."_**

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm very sorry if you think that this chapter is so confusing, short and most of all irritating. I wanted to update this story as early as possible so I have decided to write a shorter one than the first chapters. and aside from that I also apologize for the OOC. I wanted to put them back to the original but I have no idea how I will do it so please bear with me... Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10: The Reason

"Lost in Love"

Chapter 10: The Reason

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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><p>"So...ra... Sora... Sora... SORA!"<p>

"NO!"

"Ha... Ha... Hhhmmm..."

'_God! Another dream? But, why?'_

"Kurosaki!"

It was five o'clock in the morning. The auburn haired girl picked up her phone beside her and dialed a phone number with speed and then waited for the other end be picked up. It kept on ringing for one minute until it stopped. Inoue tried calling three times before she accepted her call wouldn't be answered.

"Ku-Kuro-Kurosaki! Ichigo, please I need you..."

Inoue lied on the bed once more. She pulled the blanket and buried herself under it. She was trembling and shaking from fear of what the night had brought her. It has been three months since she last had a nightmare. Three months of nothing but joy and happiness. Then why did she suddenly had a dream about that unfateful night? Why was she haunted of the ghost of the past? She shouldn't have them right? There could be no way to have nightmares when you're perfectly happy and contented with your life. There shouldn't be anything that could bother you. Right?

The only person that could answer her was Kurosaki Ichigo.

He was the one who stopped those nightmares from haunting her every damn nights. He promised her that as long as he's around nothing would happen. And he was right. Every thing turned out fine when he came to her world. When he assured her he would protect her. He was the only one who saved her.

_Three years ago..._

It was almost eight o'clock. A fourteen year old Ichigo was walking down the street with his sisters. They've been to a store buying chips and chocolates for a late night movie snack. A scowl was visible on the boy's face looking irritated as he always did. While the two girls were arguing what movie to watch. They were passing a dark corner when they heard a gruffy old voice.

"Go ahead give it a try. It can't kill with just one stick! Trust me. Nothing will happen." the voice belonged to a man. He had a tattoo on his face and looked like drunk. He was talking to a girl aging thirteen years old but didn't looked like she was that young since she had a very pretty face, kind of mature for her age. The girl had a long beautiful auburn hair and a body that was starting to form into a woman.

"But, my brother said not to smoke. He said it doesn't do anything good." The girl was looking down at the ground.

The man gripped the little girl's left arm and shook her. Then with his free hand he held the girl's chin to face his deadly eyes. "Fuck your brother! If he knows everything then where is he now? Huh? Tell me, if he is as good as you say then why did he let his sister wandering around alone at night!" Pushing his whole body towards the young girl and his mouth near her left ear the man then added in a whisper, "Come on, once you get a taste of it you will surely like it. I will give you a reward if you'll obey me. Don't make me wait too long."

Having no choice the girl took the stick the man was offering. Slowly she lifted her hand and held it tightly. Her hand was trembling having no experience of what she was doing and no idea what she was supposed to do. The smoke was making her cough and feeling sick but she couldn't escape. The man was pinning her down with his body and she had no clue what he would do to her if she would try to refuse. Before she had put the stick in her mouth a tall boy with orange hair shouted.

"What's going on here?" Ichigo was looking at the terrified girl and the creepy old man straight with his amber eyes. "That's illegal you know. Get away from her."

"And who're you?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Move before I call the cops to arrest you for abusing a girl." Ichigo's eyes didn't waver a bit. He was looking with such intense glare that frightened the man even a bit. After all, who wouldn't be shocked to find a teenager daring a much older person than him?

"Che! Fine!" The man pushed the girl harshly to Ichigo when police was mentioned. She almost fell down But Ichigo caught her before she did. "She's boring anyway." The old man turned and walked away from them. He didn't look back at the girl nor at the boy still staring at his back. He turned right at a corner and was out of sight.

Ichigo looked at the girl he was holding. She was still trembling from encountering such a man. She wasn't looking at the boy but when she felt him steadying her she couldn't avoid him any longer.

"Get away from me!"

"Hey! Don't shout at my brother! He just saved your pathetic life!" Karin got mad when she saw the girl pushed Ichigo away.

"Karin, that's fine. No harm done." Ichigo was slightly embarrassed of being defended by his little sister.

"I didn't need saving! You're meddling with my business! I don't need anyone! I don't need anyone! I! Don't! Need! Anyone!" The girl kept on repeating those words over and over.

"I know you don't. Otherwise you would have shouted for help. I'm just here offering you some. I know you can face your problems on your own and you don't need anybody to help you. You won't give up easily. I know that. " Ichigo brushed his nape with his hand. He averted his gaze at his sisters and told them they should leave.

"Again, I am just offering you some help. Do you want me to take you home safely? Inoue?" Ichigo was now looking at the girl with sincere gaze. He waited patiently for the girl to respond to him.

It wasn't the first time she met Ichigo. No, but it was the first time Ichigo saw her in such a vulnerable state. She was caught and humiliated in front of him. She didn't know what to do. Her brother just died and as a result she lost the will to live.

What she saw in his eyes was nowhere near pity. He knew it wasn't what she needed. He understood what she wanted and he gave it to her. Little words were spoken and yet he knew what to do and tell her. Perhaps because he too lost someone special and knew how it felt to be alone and lonely. In turn, he responded in a way he thought was the best. He was the only one who saw her in her worst and pushed her out of it. Ichigo rescued her. He saved her.

That was when she felt attached at him. She followed him wherever he went. When she heard that Ichigo was planning to attend Karakura High, without so much of a thought, she entered the same school although she was supposed to attend a private school for girls. It was what her brother wanted.  
>She did her best to be close to Ichigo. She followed Ichigo everywhere in the school. She pushed herself to him. She didn't even care when the students started making rumors about them. They started calling them a pair of carrots because wherever Ichigo was the other one would surely be there. But there where times when the girls who were jealous of her also called her his shadow. They said she has kept Ichigo all for herself. Well, she wouldn't deny that. She did keep him and she had no intention of letting him go. She started liking him and in the end she even loved him. He was the only one she wanted to be with. Forever.<p>

She was very happy. It was another chance to live. And she was desperate to do so but with Ichigo.

_One year ago..._

It was six o'clock. Saturday. Inoue prepared food for Ichigo in her apartment and was now waiting for him to arrive. When she heard the bell rang she rushed to the door and opened it. She saw Ichigo standing outside with his usual scowl wearing a shirt, jacket and faded jeans. Simple yet for Inoue he looked totally handsome. She told Ichigo to step inside and make himself at home.

They were at the table eating dinner when Inoue suddenly stopped and looked at him.

'_This is it. There's no turning back. I can do this. Anyway he won't reject me right? There's no reason for him to do that. I mean, all the boys at school thinks I'm the hottest girl. I know he likes me. He should like me'_

Gripping the chopsticks tighter she called the man sitting beside her. "Kurosaki, it has been years since we met. And it was the best thing that happened to me. You are very special to me. I-I ca-can't ima-imagine living without you now. Kur-Kurosaki thank you fo-for everything. For al-always being there for me."

Inoue moved closer to Ichigo and held his right hand. "Kurosaki, I-I th-thi-think I lo-ve love you. I love you Ichigo"

Ichigo was shocked at what Inoue told him. His friends told him that the girl liked him but he never believed them. She was clingy most of the time and whenever he turned around he would see her. But he disregarded it and merely thought of it as an infatuation or a crush. He was too dense to notice that the girl was actually falling in love with him. But, he didn't feel the same way as her. He always thought Inoue was more like a sister. A younger sister that he needed to take care of. Heck he didn't even feel attracted at the girl even with her looks. All the boys might be thinking how lucky he was to be friends with her but there were times when he felt too stressed at their relationship. He tried distancing himself from her but everytime he did he could feel Inoue being more agressive.

"Inoue I don't really know..."

Inoue didn't let Ichigo finish. She leaned closer at him and slowly moved her face closer to him. She was destined to kiss the boy she loved dearly. She was very close so close that she could almost feel his breath on her. A little bit more and her lips would be touching his already but...

"Stop!" Ichigo has pushed her away. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him.

"I'm sorry but I don't feel the same way as you."

He pushed himself up from the chair and bid goodbye to the stunned girl. He felt bad for Inoue but he didn't like her that much to be her boyfriend. For him, she was nothing more than a friend.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye." With a heavy heart he walked away from the girl and never looked back. Leaving Inoue unmoving from shock and heartbreak. How would you describe what she had felt when Ichigo left her that night? She couldn't move. She stayed lsittibg on the chair for who knew how long. And when she was able to move at last she threw everything that was on the table. Scattering everything on the floor, breaking every glasses they used, and even hurt herself on the process of acting like a five year old brat. It was the end of her life, once more.

Ichigo has left her and it felt like it was literally the end of the world.

She kept her distance from him after that. She never bothered him again. In fact she acted like he didn't exist and to make matter worse he pretended that nothing happened. He smiled at her whenever they bumped onto each other and acknowledged her presence when they were in the same room. She was breaking piece by piece when she saw him. The truth hurt. Ichigo didn't like her.

She couldn't take it. She had no one left.

_Four months ago..._

"Inoue stop it! What are you doing? It's dangerous don't go with that man!" Tatsuki was convincing the auburn haired girl beside her. She asked Inoue to have dinner in a restaurant and they have just finished when a man with a weird looking beard approached them inviting them to have "coffee" with him. Tatsuki refused but Inoue was persistent in going with him. She had already told her friend to leave if she didn't want to join them. Tatsuki was worried for her friend so she hasn't left yet.

Inoue's depression was getting worse and worse. She hasn't talked to anyone for months now. She responded when she was called and answered if needed. She was like a robot. Talking and moving if someone told her. Lifeless.

"Come on! I don't have lots of time ya know!" the man had a creepy grin on his face. He was eyeing Inoue from head to toe waiting for the prey to take his bait.

"I don't need you! You don't need to stay!" Snapped an angry Inoue at her friend. She shook her arm away from Tatsuki and walked to where the man was. The man put his arm around her shoulder and took Inoue away from the terrified Tatsuki.

They were a few steps away from the left girl when a hand grabbed the man's shoulder and hit him with a fist.

"Let her go."

The voice was filled with venom that it felt like it could hurt the man. He scurried away from the boy who just threw him a punch so strong that he landed on the ground with just one hit and left Inoue with him.

Inoue found the source of the voice and saw an orange haired boy. Ichigo.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is this the way you treat yourself? For fuck's sake Inoue! Quit it!" Ichigo's definitely mad with the way his voice quiver. Seeing the boy she loved made her feel helpless once more. He saved her again. This proved that even if she ignored him she couldn't change the fact that she needed him badly. He made her feel week on the knees. She couldn't do anything but grabbed his shirt and hugged him like her life depended on It. She sobbed and cried shaking from her idiotic actions and from the fear of Ichigo leaving her once more.

"Don't leave me. I beg of you. Save me. Don't let me die. I need you Ichigo."

"Please, love me..."

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><p><strong>AN: I know, it has been months and the updated chapter has no Ichigo/Rukia on it. Sorry...**

**Thank you for reading! ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11: Keeping a Promise

**"Lost in Love"**

**Chapter 11: Keeping a promise**

**Disclaimer: I do no own Bleach.**

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><p>Hours have passed. Sleep was hard to get when a certain person with bright orange hair kept on invading your mind. Rukia has been tossing and turning for the whole night. She couldn't sleep at all. Her mind was plagued by one person who might also be thinking of her.<p>

Ichigo.

He came in the middle of the night. He came and almost confessed his feelings for her but she stopped him. She couldn't let him. Not when there were things at stake.

But for a bit, she felt sad. She felt that maybe even a bit, a small part of her has been telling her that she regretted it.

She likes him. That was for sure and last night Ichigo showed her he likes her too. Could she be selfish enough and think of her self for once? Could she hurt Inoue and take the boy that completed Inoue's life? Could she forget any righteous act and let her heart do all the actions? Could she really do that?

"Hhhhmmm... I need to get out. I have to go somewhere."

Rukia got ready to take a walk outside. She decided she needed a break from all of the confusion she has been going through. After checking her brother if he has gone for work already she took her keys and went straight to the park.

She hasn't eaten any breakfast yet so she decided to grab a meal on one of the fast-food she saw on her way to the park. She entered the store and ordered food from the counter. Some pancakes with hot chocolate and then took a seat beside the glass wall.

She was staring at nothing in particular when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Kuchiki? What are you doing here?" A smiling girl with auburn hair was looking at Rukia with curious eyes. The girl that Rukia felt she was betraying. Inoue was holding a tray with pancakes and coffee. Evidently she was having breakfast at the same place.

"I-Inoue?"

"Wow! Are you here for breakfast as well?" Inoue looked at the empty seat opposite Rukia. "Can I join you?"

"Su-sure. No problem." '_Why am I nervous? It's just Inoue! Oh yeah right. Because last night I almost took her boyfriend for myself! God! Why does she have to be here?"_

After being seated Inoue started eating unaware of the awkwardness that she was giving the other girl. She was oblivious to the fact that Rukia was actually fidgetting and uncomfortable being in her presence. "So, why are you eating here? Shouldn't you be home by now?"

"We-well my brother has left when I woke up and I wanted to take a walk. Then I stop at this place. What about you? How are you?" Rukia couldn't even look at Inoue in fear that the said girl would see right through her and accuse her of stealing her boyfriend.

"Nothing in particular. I always come here whenever I feel like it. This is where my brother and I used to eat. We came here often." She didn't need to tell the nightmares that haunted her for the whole night and that it was the cause of waking up too early.

Rukia saw a sad smile crept along Inoue's face. "You must be really close with your brother."

Inoue's grin was from ear to ear. "Yeah! He was the only family I had. I lived my best days with him. but of course all dreams has to end and unfortunately ours ended too early."

"What do you mean that it ended early?"

"We-well my brother died when I was thirteen. A car crashed onto him. He saw a kid crossing the street and instinct told him to save the poor child. He pushed the kid out of the way and he ended up getting hit by the car." The story was finished with teary eyes. Inoue looked away from Rukia. She couldn't bear facing the past. Talking about her brother made her feel uneasy and she tried as hard as she could to forget what happened.

"Your brother sounds like a hero. I think he didn't regret what he did. I know that If he could bring back the time, he would have done it again. He would save that kid again." Rukia felt sad for Inoue. She knew what it was like to lose someone precious and someone you love with all your heart. It must have been worse for Inoue since her brother was the only one left._ 'At least Byakuya is still with me. He still protects me and takes care of me.'_

"I know. He's one in a million. The only reason that's keeping me sane is Kurosaki. If it wasn't for him, i would have done something stupid by now. Do you understand what I mean?"

Inoue's gaze was intent. For the first time since Rukia met her, she saw fear in the usually bubbly girl's eyes. There was another meaning hidden behind Inoue's words.

_'Inoue, couldn't live without Ichigo. Is that what she is telling me?'_ "You really love Ichigo so much, don't you?"

The auburn haired girl wondered how Rukia understood what she felt. She smiled at the petite girl and nodded. With an appreciative smile she answered the petite girl with a warm voice ending the topic.

"Yes, I love him. And I will do everything to be with him forever."

Inoue stared at Rukia. She studied the girl's face and noticed how pretty the other girl was. Silky smooth and shiny hair, Soft skin that looked like cream, big violet eyes that shines whenever she smiles, a cute button nose and pouty lips that had the perfect shape. Rukia was beautiful no doubt about that. Inoue could see that any man could easily fall for the othe girl's charm. Not only was Rukia pretty, she also has a kind heart. Yes, anyone could fall for her and that included...

"Rukia, Is something wrong between you and Kurosaki?"

Shocked by the next words that came from Inoue, Rukia's heart started beating fast. _'I hope this isn't about what I think it is.'_

"Why d'you ask?"

Inoue's fingers were fidgeting visible to the occupants of the table. "W-well y-ou have been ignoring each other this past week. I was just wondering whether you two fought or not. I'm just worried."

This question has been bugging Inoue for the past week. Rukia wasn't talking to Ichigo. It wasn't an oblivious fact to her. A week had passed and not one of them utter a single word to each other. Inoue thought perhaps Ichigo was the one who ignored the raven haired girl but as she observed more closely, he was actually the one trying to get Rukia's attention. The other girl was very determined not look or even glance at the boy. she knew something was up. But she didn't want to interfere with the two so Inoue tried ignoring them. But how could someone pretend nothing was happening when the other party was doing the opposite?

**(flashback)**

It was Wednesday, lunch break. Everyone was outside enjoying their packed lunch and chatting with friends. Two groups divided by boys and girls were under a tree doing same things as others.

A sigh was once again heard from Ichigo who was beside Chad and Keigo. It didn't go unnoticed by the latter boy.

"Ichigo! That was the tenth time I heard you sighing! What's wrong with you? Hhmmm... Whenever a boy sighs it's because of a... A GIRL!" an idiotic suggestion came from keigo. Inoue who was sitting beside Tatsuki and Chizuru snapped her head at the center of attention. She saw Ichigo already breaking the stupid boy's head and threw him on the ground.

Ichigo stood up and walked away from the group telling them he would go to the bathroom. Inoue stared at the retreating boy and decided to follow him. When they were back inside the building she stopped Ichigo by holding his left arm and turned him to face her.

"What's wrong?" She knew something was up. Ichigo has been totally distressed for the last two days.

Ichigo turned and saw Inoue's eyes. For a moment he thought they were violet ones looking back at him. Shaking his head to clear his mind he sighed and looked away. He knew why Inoue followed him. She was worried of what Keigo said. "Inoue, nothing's wrong. Don't let what that idiot said get into you."

"I know that. I'm just worried. You've been anxious this past few days. What's bugging you?"

"Look Inou-"

"Hahaha! That's hilarious Ren-"

Just then a petite girl walked passed the two. Renji was beside her and they were talking. Rukia looked like she was enjoying and having fun while Renji was trying hard to make the girl laugh. Rukia stopped laughing automatically after sensing the other two looking at them. The laughed vanished quickly replaced by a small smile towards the two.

"Inoue! I-Kurosaki!" She nodded to acknowledge them.

"Kuchiki! What are you doing here?"

"Well! I didn't know this place is exclusive for just the two of you!" Renji retorted at Inoue's remark.

"Renji! Stop that! Inoue didn't mean anything. She's just asking." Rukia was pleading inside for Renji to just let it go and continue walking. She could feel Ichigo's intense glare at her and it made her feel uncomfortable. What she didn't know was that the other girl could also see Ichigo looking at her.  
>Inoue was staring between Rukia and Ichigo. She could see Ichigo looking at Rukia but the girl was avoiding his gaze. '<em>What's happening here? Why are they acting like this?'<em> she was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Rukia calling her.

"I'm sorry if we disturbed you. We'll go. See you later." and with that, Renji and Rukia moved away from them without even glancing at the orange haired boy. She had completely ignored him.

As the two walked away Ichigo's eyes were on Rukia. His gaze followed her until she was out of sight. The look that he gave Rukia broke Inoue's heart. There was unidentified sadness in his eyes and it didn't go unnoticed by Inoue. She was certain. It was longing she saw in his eyes.  
>With wide eyes and trembling hands Inoue shook Ichigo's arms that she was still holding.<p>

"Ichigo, look at me!"

"What?" Inoue's voice was louder than Ichigo expected. It made him narrow his eyes.

When Inoue saw his gaze turned irritated she fixed her composure and continued with a much softer voice. "I mean, we should go. We're gonna be late for class. Let's go."

With a final look from the girl that had pretended he didn't exist, he sighed once more and then nodded. But instead of taking Inoue's hand which she offered, he shook his arm and walked straight back to their room. The action didn't comfort Inoue but had made her more uneased.

**(end of flashback)**

"So, did the two of you fight?"

"N-no! Of course not!" Rukia stuttered. She could feel the other girl pinning her down with her gaze. She couldn't lie to anyone. Even when she was a kid she was not good at telling lies. Anybody could see right through her. When she took a peek at Inoue she knew Inoue didn't believe her.

"Kuchiki, why not just tell me the truth? Maybe I can help you if you'll tell me what's going on."

Avoiding Inoue's gaze Rukia took a bite of the pancakes she had and then swallowed. Giving herself enough time to compose her expression. "We're fine. Nothing's wrong. Please trust me."

"Kuchiki, I trust you okay. And please know that what I'm doing now only has my concern over Kurosaki, for the both of you. I'm really worried and it bothers me that I can't do anything to help him. What ever he's going through." Inoue stopped for a while and took a sip of her coffee. "I'm going to ask you again. Is something going on between the two of you?"

The petite girl knew how much Inoue was bothered by their actions. Even if she was trying to hide it as much as possible, she was observing Rukia and Ichigo this past week. It struck Rukia that Inoue was indeed noticing the difference. She knew something was wrong. she might not say it directly but Rukia was certain.

Inoue was starting to get jealous.

Doubts were starting to invade the girl's thoughts. Even if she tried masking it as being worried over her boyfriend. it was clear as water what she really meant. It was like reading between the lines.

with sincere eyes and strong voice Rukia told Inoue what she thought the voluptuous woman wanted to hear emphasizing each word with clarity.  
>"I promise you, nothing is happening and will ever happen between the two of us."<p>

_'The sun is too hot. It's burning. Who would think about meeting someone during this time of the day? oh yeah. Me!'_

Ichigo was on his way to the river. It was noon. Just like what he told Rukia.

He told her last night he would go to the river and wait for her. For as long as could. He didn't sleep or couldn't sleep for the whole night. How could he? He just confessed to the small girl he liked her. Well, not totally since she didn't let him say the words but it's the same.

_'What now? Will she show up? I told her we could just be friends if she doesn't want to be more than that. But, what about me? Is that what I really want? Could I refrain myself from asking more? I asked her to show up if she wants to stay by my side. But as my what? My friend?'_

Sighing for the umpteenth time, Ichigo kicked a stone blocking his way with frustration. He has been thinking for the whole night about what he would do. And before he knew, it was morning already. And that's when he decided to just wait for Rukia's own decision.

All throughout the night he weighed every options he got. He could stay with Inoue and let go of the one person he had ever liked or he could hurt Inoue and love someone with guilt. Somehow the last option sounded much more tempting than he ever thought. And that's when he concluded he was willing to hurt his three months girlfriend for a girl he just met two weeks ago. If Rukia would show up, he would convince her to stay with him as her boyfriend. Inoue was young, beautiful, and everybody liked her. She could have anybody she wanted just... not... him...

'_Inoue. Can I really hurt her?'_

Ichigo saw the calls she made but didn't bother answering. He was tired and completely fucked up. He didn't want to think about her last night. He needed to clear his mind and think what he should do and what he wanted to do. He needed time to think what was right and wrong.

When he reached the river It was past twelve. He looked around the place for any signs of Rukia being there earlier but he found none. He lied down on the grass and decided he would just wait for Rukia and they would talk again. For now, he just hoped she would show up.

It wasn't long before he heard two sets of feet moving behind him. He smiled and sat up and waited for the person to come nearer.

"I knew you would come. I didn't doubt that. I'm glad you're he...re..." He turned around and looked at the person standing right beside him.

"I-Ino...ue...?"

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><p><strong>AN: wew! Sorry for all the spelling and grammar mistakes. I don't really have time to reread this and rewrite.**

**Thank you for reading! ^_^**


	12. Chapter 12: Another Promise

**"Lost in love"**

**Chapter 12: Another Promise **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

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><p>A boy with log red hair was staring down the street gping nowhere in particular. He's face was contorted with a very scary expression that managed a shiver to everyone who saw it. He has been in a grumpy mood for the past week and just as he thought it wouldn't get worse he was proven wrong.<p>

A whole week had passed without a petite girl to complete his days. He didn't know why, Rukia just stop going to the roof. She was always avoiding him. She wouldn't even talk to him. She wouldn't take his calls and whenever they were in the same room she wouldn't even glance at him. Those actions gave him frustrations and anger.

He could still see Rukia's frightened expression when he talked to her or rather...

threatened her.

_(Flashback)_

Rukia was on her way to the bathroom when a fierce rough hand held her arm and halted her steps.

"What is wrong with you?"

Eyes wide with shock, Rukia shook her arm away from the demanding Renji and moved back.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb! You've been avoiding me as best as you can! What the Fuck Rukia! Just tell me if I've done something wrong!"

Rukia sighed deeply and turned her gaze at the ground. It was true. She was doing her best to keep away from Renji.

When she sent Inoue to see Ichigo instead of her going to the river bank to be with him, she decided it was time to stay away from the person she really liked. Inoue needed him so much she couldn't bear hurting the poor girl. She knew Ichigo wouldn't forgive her for what she's done but she took the risk. And now, the orange haired boy has stopped talking to her. It was his turn to ignore her. Rukia understood well. It meant that what ever the two of them had, it was over.

Renji's situation wasn't different from Ichigo. He liked Rukia that was for sure. But the girl didn't like him. She didn't feel comfortable being with him. Why would she say yes to Renji when she pushed away the true person that she liked? It was just right to keep away from Renji. It wouldn't be fair to Ichigo. The reason she declined him was because of Inoue and the reason she ignored Renji was because she didn't like him the way he liked her. That fact alone was enough for her.

She didn't want any more problems.

"Renji, I'm sorry. I think it's time for us to stop being friends. I can't be friends with you."

"Wha-? What are you talking about? You're not making any sense." Renji didn't understand a heck of what Rukia was talking about. It was oblivious to him that Rukia was telling him to stop following her around and forget his feelings for her.

"Renji, remember when you told me that you like me? Well, I'm really really sorry but I don't feel the sa-same wa...y..." She looked at Renji. Rukia knew what kind of a person he was. He wouldn't take her seriously. He would just keep on bugging her to give him a chance. Now, she would make sure that her message would get into Renji clearly.

Looking at her violet eyes Renji saw nothing but sincerity. She was refusing him.

"Why?"

"Renji, I'm sorry. I just don't feel the same way."

Renji took a step towards Rukia and gripped her arms tightly. She flinched but stayed put. She wouldn't show any weaknesses and sway her decision. It was the least thing she would do. But the red boy was not planning to let her go. He held her tighter and pulled her to him.

"Is it because of that bastard Kurosaki? If it is I swear, I... I... I... Tell me. Do you... Like... him?" Renji was doing his best not to tremble from the ache he was feeling. Rukia was leaving him and it was because of another boy. He couldn't accept that fact.

Rukia couldn't lie. It might be harsh to tell Renji the truth but if she couldn't be with Ichigo then she would at least accept her feelings for him. It was the only comfort she had. It was the only thing she had.

"Yes, I like him. But we can't be together. We won't be. And it isn't the reason why I'm doing this. I already told you. I'm sorry Renji..."

Rukia thought Renji wasn't going to drop his hands but a moment he closed his eyes and slowly took them back.

"I understand."

"Thank yo-"

"I said, I understand. But it doesn't mean I accept it!" An evil smirked was on his face. He stared at Rukia with such intensity and anger and without any signs of defeat.

"I will make you fall for me! I will do everything it takes. If you're not gonna be mine then, no one and I mean no one especially that freak orange haired bastard Ichigo Kurosaki, can have you!"

And after a threatening look he gave Rukia, Renji turned around and walked away from the stunned girl.

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><p>"Well well well. Look who's here. What made you come back?"<p>

A man with black hair and a scar on his face stopped Renji from his trance. He was with four different boys with the same age and they all had the same murderous look in their eyes.

"What made you _comeback_?"

"Hhmp! Fuck You! What made you think I came here for you?" spat an angry Renji.

"Well, why are you here then? To have coffee? You're still as pathetic as I can remember Renji." The group of men laughed at the boy's comment. Adding more insults they could throw at Renji.

"Why? Did your girlfriend dumped you? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. She wasn't yours to begin with. You were just following her around like a _dog_!"

"Don't tempt me. I would beat the pulp out of you!" Renji wasn't going to run. He knew he hadn't have the chance to win over the five men but this time he wouldn't run away. He would fight them even if it kills him.

One of the men took a step forward and pulled out a knife from his pocket. He turned it around and the moonlight illuminated the knife. "Let me do it! I can kick his ass! It will be easy and fun!"

Renji also took a step forward but the boy he was talking to stopped them before they started. "Let him be. He's useless and he's just wasting our time. Let's go."

All four of them turned and walked away without a word. After a few steps the boy with a scar halted and looked back smirking at Renji.

"You're not worth of anyone's time. I'm glad whoever that girl was _left you_."

Renji's fist circled tight in an instant. He was furious. He was ready to hurt someone or anyone and the only person that could have given him that satisfaction back out and left without even one hit on the face. His remark only fueled his anger more. They were right. He wasn't the kind of person that Rukia would take interest in to. He was just a street dog. He was no more than a pebble in her shoe. Someone not worth caring for.

But he wouldn't give up. No, he promised himself he would have Rukia no matter what. And no one not even that almighty Kurosaki could take her away from him.

"Rukia would be mine. I'll make sure of that."

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading! Review if you must!**


	13. Chapter 13: Tug of War

**"Lost in Love"**

**Chapter 13: Tug-of-War**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!**

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><p>"What am I doing here? I'm fucking bored!"<p>

Ichigo was standing in the middle of a mall. He has been walking inside for an hour and so far the only thing that entertained him was... Nothing!

Inoue had asked him, again, to go to the mall together. He didn't want to but the girl was so persuasive. She has been constant on bothering him until he would agree. She even had the courage to call him in the middle of the night just to annoy him. Threatening him that she wouldn't stop if he wouldn't say yes.

"I can't take it anymore! This is so fucking frustrating! Why does she need me to go with her? She's obviously the only one enjoying this!" Ichigo kept on cursing over and over. He has been in a grumpy mood ever since he stepped foot inside the mall.

"Kurosaki! Is something wrong?"

The auburn haired girl emerged from a store after buying some girl stuff. She had observed him for the whole hour that he was with her and he wasn't having fun. It's so obvious that he was in a sour mood. He might think that he was hiding his irritation but it was bright as day. Not to mention the fact that his scowl was portraying it.

His eyes snapped at the girl who spoke. She was really concerned and worried. He sighed at her question and decided that he couldn't take anymore of the 'shopping date' they were having, might as well tell her the truth.

"Inoue, I'm sorry. Can I just go home now? I don't think I'm in the mood right now."

Honestly speaking, he wasn't in the mood for the whole week. Another week had passed, he and Rukia hadn't talked at all. He was still mad at her for sending Inoue and he couldn't do anything about it. He just didn't have the heart to dismiss her. Why couldn't he just forget about Rukia and move on with Inoue?

He knew the answer to that. He liked Rukia. He was totally into her. He was mad at her not because she sent Inoue but because _she_ didn't show up. He was eagerly waiting for her and hoping to spend the whole afternoon with no one else but her. Unfortunately he was forced to be with the auburn haired girl.

His thoughts were interrupted by the mumbling of Inoue. "Why? Are you sick?"

"No! I'm fine. I just don't think that I can last for the day."

"Please, just let me go..."

Ichigo's words rang in Inoue's ears. If she didn't know any better she would think there was a deeper meaning in them. It made her feel uncomfortable. But why would she stop him when he so obviously wanted to be alone?

"I understand, do you want me to go with you?"

"No! That's fine. I can manage on my own. I'll see at school."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Rukia, are you sure you're gonna be fine alone here?"

Worry and conscience was so clear in Byakuya's icy voice. He and Rukia have been spending the whole morning together doing what a brother and sister would do. They ate breakfast at a restaurant and have shopped after that. Byakuya has bought everything Rukia wanted. From shoes to hats. Even promising her new chappy stuff toys after having lunch and watching a movie. But his secretary had called to inform him about some work problems that caused him to cancel their plans for the afternoon.

"I'm fine. Just tell Kenpachi to send all of these at home." Rukia was referring to all of her clothes. "I want to watch a movie. It's a bother carrying them around."

"Alright, just becareful and don't be late. I'll see you when I get home." Byakuya took the bags from his little sister and brought them.

When Byakuya was too far to see already, Rukia decided to have coffee first before watching a movie. She walked around the mall looking at every shop she passed by and even buying when she spotted things she liked.

She found a store where only girls' stuff were in it. She thought of entering when her eyes caught two figures talking in front of the said store. A boy and a girl with the same color of hair. The same boy and girl she has been trying to avoid the past week.

She stared at them. Ichigo was talking to Inoue but Rukia couldn't understand what he was telling the girl. Rukia was quite far but she could see their faces. The boy looked tired and bored while the girl looked simply sad.

While observing the two, she noticed how perfect they looked together. This was one of the reason why she avoided Ichigo before her feelings run too deep. How could she compete herself with the other girl when everybody thought Inoue and Ichigo were meant to be? It made her feel little of herself and sink low on the ground. _'I'm so stupid. How could I even tell him I like him? I only caused him problems. Get a hold of yourself Rukia! Even if I like him, he's better with Inoue. Even if this sight tears me apart, I can't let my emotions get into me!'_

With a sigh she turned around and walked away. Leaving her heart hurting once more.

Rukia has only taken four steps when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her abruptly inside a waiting lift. Inside the elevator, her eyes traveled at the young man whose grip was so tight it almost blocked the blood flowing inside her. Her eyes were wide as saucers when she saw who it was. His back was facing her but his hand was still holding her arm. When the lift opened they were in the parking lot. He pulled Rukia out and slowly turned to face her. His mouth opened but the small girl held her hand to stop him.

"What are you doing?"

"Wha-"

"Why are you doing this? Go back to Inoue, Ichigo!" Rukia pressed the button of the elevator and waited for it to open.

Ichigo's fist clenched at her words. He didn't leave Inoue and ran to her. When he told Inoue he wanted to go home, he saw Rukia looking at them but she didn't look like she saw him staring at her. And when Rukia started walking away he immediately bid goodbye to Inoue and waited for the girl to move before he ran to Rukia and pulled them inside the elevator to hide from his girlfriend.

He only wanted to talk but why did Rukia always wanted it to be difficult?

"Stop! You're not going anywhere until we're finish!" Ichigo took big steps forward and forced the petite girl to look at him.

"I'm fucking tired of your games!"

"Huh-?" Rukia was beginning to get scared of the boy. Now she knew why almost every boy in their school respected him. He could be scary when he wanted to.

"YOU were the first one to confess what you feel for me! We were good as friends but you told me you like me! You ruined it! And then what? You walked away like nothing happened and gave me a hell out of it!" Ichigo was furious. Every word he's spitting was a knife that cut through Rukia. He made her flinch at every word.

"After that, you were also the annoying one pushing me to Inoue! Why? And now it's even you who showed up first in front of me! To confuse me once more! I don't get it! I don't know what to do! I don't know what you really want me to do! I'm fucking sick of it! If this is some kind of YOUR games, then I'm sorry! But I don't wanna play!"

Rukia couldn't say anything. Not a word escaped her mouth. Ichigo said it all. It was true. She started this whole mess and she was the one running from it. She never knew how much of a coward she really was. She was embarrassed from everything.

"When I said that I like you, I didn't tell you that just because I pity you! I LIKE YOU!"

Rukia was slightly trembling and Ichigo could feel it. Realization dawned on him and he released the girl from his was totally out of control. He faced the floor and continued in a much calmer tone. "I'm sorry. It's just that, you're making me fucking frustrated! You said you like me but you don't want us to be together? Then why bother telling me that?"

"I tried to forget you but, I just... I just couldn't do it. You're always showing up in front of me! I see your eyes everywhere. And to make matters worst, I'm starting to... Starting to hate my own girlfriend for thinking... For thinking she's the reason why we can't be together..."

Ichigo was starting to have a headache. He rubbed his nape and sighed. He just didn't know what to do anymore. Why, in the first place, did he even bother running after Rukia? Did he really want to dump Inoue and be with this girl who did nothing but make a mess in his perfect but unreal world?

"Forget it! I'm sorry. If this is what you want, then I won't bother you anymore."

Ichigo sarcastically smirked at Rukia making the girl flinch once more. He waited for her to move or at least say something but when a full minute had passed, he defeatedly sighed and turned back. Rukia was not planning to change her mind and would never ever choose between what was right and what was wrong. Pain struck his heart again. Something that always happened whenever he's with the raven haired girl.

It was a never ending cycle. She chased him and he chased her back. But then she pushed him and he pushed her back. Nothing progressed between them. It was often an endless round of tug-of-war.

But then, as if by a miracle that he wouldn't even believed it if it weren't for the two small arms encircled on his waist, Rukia stopped him. She actually stopped him from moving and pushing her. Ending their silly game.

"I'm sorry... Ichigo, I'm sorry... I only did it to set things right. I didn't know I was hurting you. I never meant to do that. I'm sorry Ichigo. I'm sorry..."

Rukia was crying. She was shaking and sobbing terribly. It was a good thing she's holding onto Ichigo to keep her steady. Everything he said was right. She was always trying to catch him and when she did, she would drop him, hurting the boy. And every time she dropped him it was higher than the last time that made the pain more unbearable to handle. Probably the reason why he snapped at her. Pouring a bucket of cold water on her. She was such an idiot. She knew what she felt. She was holding onto him, secretly wishing he would take bold actions for the both of them. Something she was afraid to do.

She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to stop hiding from him. And if he would allow her, she would stay by his side for as long as he liked. No more pretenses and no more running. She would do whatever made him happy.

She almost thought he hated her already until she felt his own arms encircled hers. She tightened her hold and squeezed him more making him inhale deeply.

"I'll forgive you just promise me one thing."

Rukia's reply was nothing more than a nod.

Ichigo slowly turned and faced her. She was in a mess. Her hat was on the edge of her head almost falling and tears were rolling continuously like pouring rain. He held her with his strong big hands and cupped her face with both of them. He was rubbing his thumbs on her cheeks wiping her tears away while promising it would be the last time he would make the girl cry.

"Promise me you won't run nor push me again. Promise me, that whatever or whoever comes between us, you'll stay with me."

Rukia smiled. A smile that for two to three weeks was hidden from Ichigo. At long last, he saw those lips formed into a beautiful wide smile. It was one of the things he missed from her.

"As long as you want me to be with you, I'll stay."

And with that, Ichigo's lips met Rukia's forehead while wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Kissing and hugging her longer than necessary.

For the first time, he was with somebody he truly liked.

_'I'm sorry Inoue...'_

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><p><strong>AN: There you have it! After a couple of chapters! I hope this will satisfy Ichiruki lovers out there who always reviews and tells me to make Ichigo break up with Inoue. So... What do you think?**

**Review if you think it's worth it! ^_^**


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